


Collided

by KasPan



Category: Free!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Never Met, Fluff and Angst, I accidently made a whole fantasy world, M/M, Romance, Slow Build, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-12
Updated: 2017-09-16
Packaged: 2018-09-22 21:58:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 93,689
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9627227
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KasPan/pseuds/KasPan
Summary: Thousands of years ago, a world bearing the cruelest destiny of destinies collided with the most ideal and outstanding world. Out of this, a ritual between two worlds was born. Every sixth spring, a human carrying the blood of the ancient Japanese gods is escorted to the elves’ land. It is believed that these chosen human beings are destined to help protect both the human’s and elves’ worlds, to prevent the possibility of eternal darkness.In the 21th century this is a worldwide topic that everyone knows and are highly excited about, but they are not truly aware of the sacrifices made in the stranger world...For Haruka Nanase, who absolutely expects to live a normal life with normal people until he dies a normal death, the title as the Holy Guardian was never anything desirable – until one fateful day proves him it to be otherwise.⚠ THIS STORY WILL NOT BE CONTINUED ⚠





	1. Goodbye, world.

_A dream._

_He can’t tell whether it’s cold or warm, merely that the thin air is encircling him._

_Someone is there, but the other presence is far too distant for him to recognize who it is._

_A hand reaching out to him._

_A name used to call to him._

He wakes up with tears in his eyes and doesn’t remember a thing.

 

 

**_________________________________________________________ **

 

 

   This story could begin at the very moment existence was a thing for the first time. When suddenly nothing created everything out of nowhere, which caused a certain famous bang. The ending for that tale could be the end of existence, maybe even before that, though that is a decision completely up to the one making the narrative, of course. A start of a story is at the exact moment the narrator wants it to begin.

   Our story could begin thousands of years ago. The time in which a world bearing the cruelest destiny of destinies collided with the most ideal and outstanding world. Two parallels never meant to see the light of each other – yet they did.    

   They _collided_ we say, but there were no explosions, no shocking sounds, no instant reactions. Being both invisible for each other, there were not a single thing realizing what had happened until some kind of beings discovered a hidden, invisible portal. A portal, which only a few could go through, and those people were able to see another of the universe’s darkest creations behind it.

   You may call such a happening magical, or rather – a catastrophe.  

   For you see, this was a big mistake done by the universe itself and was never really meant to occur. Still, it happened, without any reasons or explanations. Though silent and private, the collision was so great that it surely had a huge negative impact on the two worlds. Granted, the ones bearing the consequences were the inhabitants of these worlds themselves. Some may say this is very unfortunate for them, but let us not forget that with downsides, there is always an intriguing one.

   And in the end, does not the thrilling part in a story make it all worth the chaos?

   The collision between the worlds might have been a mistake, but maybe this mistake was the fate of the two worlds all along. Maybe this was another unnecessary, yet destined _bang_ for the universe.

   As mentioned, our story can begin during the start of this period. A truly desperate time, filled with sorrow and fear, a time when worlds were struggling to survive.

   However, let us not, for the narrator wishes to focus on one of the smaller outcomes of this universe’s troublesome mistake.  

   Oh, so many outcomes, so many fates altered, they all make some memorable stories. Some of the stories being quite happy, others tragic, but most of them are somewhere in between.  

   Perhaps focusing on one of these ‘insignificant’ stories is what the narrator wants.

   A story that begins in a small town in one of these problematic worlds. A tale beginning with a young man minding his own life, unaware of his destiny.

   We find him inside an old house – or a dojo, as the beings call it – and see him doing swift movements with a white wooden sword.

   Only time will show if this boy’s story is worth following from the beginning to the end.

 

 

**_________________________________________________________ **

 

 

_Move the bokken sideways. Keep your balance._

 It is easy practice that with skill doesn’t have the necessity of a concentrated mindset, so after having repeated the same moves and being deep in his own thoughts for a while, it is only now that Haruka Nanase notices he’s been training for a somewhat longer time than usual. He lowers the bokken and stands still. The clock on the wall reads exactly four pm.

   He should probably call it a day and get some rest.    

   Changing clothes and cleaning up the place takes no time, and even though he is the only one training and never really makes any clutter, he’s careful to not leave anything that might be at the wrong place behind.  

   The owner of the local dojo, being an old family friend of Haruka, sees no problem in letting the boy spend time by himself here, _‘as long as the boy keeps the place tidy afterwards, that is’_. Spending time with the others at the dojo has never been something of Haruka’s interest, so he would occasionally go there alone. There are times when the owner would join him, sometimes to teach the boy new techniques and other times just to hang out.

   It has always been like that.

   School, part-time job, dojo, it’s all a part of his weekly routine.  

   Haruka closes and locks the front door behind him as he steps outside the building.  

   The first thing he notices when going outside is the faint smell of the not too far away ocean, and the seventeen-year-old boy immediately feels like it’s just a tiny bit easier to breathe.

   It’s Sunday, not long after the winter took its farewell and now spring has come to fill the air of his small hometown, Iwatobi.

   For some reason it makes Haruka feel more at ease as he’s walking towards his house, observing the nature he is walking past. New buds have found their place on the trees and lumps of snow are slowly melting in the ditches. The air is no longer biting cold, the sky is brighter and the nature has more sounds to it.  

   It is calming, not quite normal considering it was a heavy winter just a few weeks ago, but calming.

   The boy eventually reaches his old house. The first thing he does after finally coming home into the familiar warmth is taking a worthy long-lasting, relaxing bath. All thoughts vanishes as the hot water embraces his body.

   Silence.

   Haruka sighs deeply.

   This is what a perfect, calming and comfortable Sunday truly is and should be like.

   After a while in the bathtub, the hot liquid turns lukewarm, then lukewarm to cold. Despite his love for the soothing activity, Haruka decides to leave the bath and dries himself with a towel.

   Next on his to-do-list is dinner. He quietly strolls to the kitchen with slightly wet hair.  

   The feeling of disappointment and utter betrayal for his past self’s lack of measurements comes to show when he sees the amount of food in his fridge. Only a single canned mackerel and some milk remains. He does a tired moan and closes the fridge door.  

   He likes mackerel. A lot. Nevertheless, that canned mackerel will be nowhere good enough for dinner. Besides, he should have done grocery shopping a long time ago, so there is only one thing to do…

   Haruka walks away from the kitchen, down to the entrance hall, and puts on clothes. This time wearing a woolen hat to shelter his still wet hair, as he guesses the air has gotten colder by now. It is darker now, and Haruka heads out for the grocery shop in a fairly slow pace. There is no need to hurry, it’s still not even that late and besides, his hunger is – at this current time – very tolerable.  

   He is walking down the stairway leading down from his residence when he notices his older neighbor walking past.

   It’s Tamura-san, an elderly woman who has lived right next to Haruka, ever since he was a newborn child. She seems a bit flustered as she’s making her way to her front door, but stops and draws a big smile when noticing Haruka coming down. 

   “Ah well, if it isn’t Nanase-kun!”

   Haruka slightly bows his head. 

   “Tamura-san, I haven’t seen you in a while,” he replies with the monotone voice of his.

   “That’s right! You see, I was visiting my niece again, been seeing the beautiful snowy mountains!”

   “Oh, how nice, did you have a safe trip?“

   “Yes, yes, and even though I hold Iwatobi dear to me, it is nice to spend some time traveling in the foreign world. Being around the earth is important, that’s something for everyone to remember, don’t you think?”

   “Yeah,” Haruka looks down at a little green sprout making its way through the ground. He hasn’t left the town once since he was a little kid and Tamura-san knows that. Maybe that’s the exact reason she’s mentioning this. He looks up at her and draws a faint smile. “I’ll remember that.”

   Tamura-san suddenly holds her hands up as to apologize.

   “Please forgive me for changing the subject so suddenly Nanase-kun, but are you updated on the news?”

   “The news?” Haruka asks. All day he had been training and past that he’d done nothing but being in his own head, not even thinking about the outer world, let alone checking the news.

   Any sort of news programs has never been of his interests anyway, as they will usually contain dull opinions and every-day problems that has nothing to do with his life, which frankly is not much more than just annoyance and trifling waste of time for the boy. Now however, he gets wary. Whatever has happened is making the laid-back and reserved, old lady Tamura-san rushing, which is everything but normal.

   “No, not really, has anything happened?”

   Despite him worrying, the woman’s eyes lights up.

   “They are saying the holy ritual is happening right now as we’re speaking, they are right by Iwatobi, apparently.”

   Haruka blinks in surprise.

   “The elves are back?”

   “Yes, yes, yes, and about time! I’ve never experienced them being a whole year later than usual, strange isn’t it?”

   “Yeah,” is all Haruka is able to say. He honestly hadn’t anticipated the holy ritual to happen today, let alone that it would happen so close to him.

   “It could be another false alarm like usual, but I really hope they are not lying this time. I think I’ll go in and check the TV, they’re probably all over the news by now!” She almost sings in excitement and her feet are already moving up towards her house. “So I’ll see you soon, Nanase-kun!”

   “Yeah. See you soon.”

   They bid their goodbyes and Haruka continues down the quarters ahead to the local shop, now feeling very different from before.  

   The holy ritual. A happening that only finds occurrence in Japan every sixth spring.  

   The elves, a phenomenal species, hold the task to find and bring a worthy human with the capability to cross the boundary between worlds. A human who bears the blood of the ancient gods, whom shall help the elves overcome a certain dark power. They say it’s a dark power, yet stupidly enough this _danger_ has stayed hidden for the human world.  

   The chosen human – given the vain name ‘the Holy Guardian’ – could be a child that’s about to grow up with their dear family, an adult that is just getting used to the complicated world or an elder with loving kids and grandkids.

   Some curses the elves for abducting these people. They feel discontent with the lack of information about the elves only to then command around during the holy ritual. Hundreds of years ago, the human’s despair for the tradition led to a twelve-year-old war between the elves’ land and the earth, which the magical creatures eventually won. It has since been peace between the two worlds, as it was important to cooperate to defeat their _real_ enemy.  

   It doesn’t help that the Japanese occasionally uses the word _mazoku_ for the elves either, literally referring to evil creatures. Simply saying the word out loud is frightening in itself for some people.

   At the same time however, the holy ritual fascinates most people, as many finds being the owner of the title _the chosen one_ very appealing.

   It’s said that the Holy Guardians has an inner desire to help the elves defeat this so-called threat, that it is their motivation making them more decisive and brave. The saying appear to be true, as none of the chosen ones has ever rejected the elves’ proposal, but instead accepted right away. Most of them have also visited the humans from time to time afterwards, and they never seem to feel at doubt of their decision, making them look like a true hero.

   There is also a myth saying the chosen ones has a rather high chance of finding ‘undying love’ in the other world – something apparently the elves’ hold uppermost in their mind. 

   In other words, yes, of course the majority of humanity is obsessed over this legend.

   Kids are playing _elves and monsters_ at day and dreams about being the Holy Guardian at night. Many songs, movies and books are based on the unnatural world, and the social media never gets tired of the topic.

   As a child, Haruka really did enjoy hearing stories and playing games related to the elves, but he never seemed as obsessed over it like his other classmates.

   When he was ten years old, a kid on his age who didn’t live far away from Haruka, was chosen to join the other species. This became a scandal for a while. It’s most common for people between nineteen to thirty to get chosen. What had been the purpose of separating such a young child from their family just to send them to another world? The humanity were furious, but had no chose but to let it pass. A new war was not the solution – the world had learned that a long time ago.   

   As Tamura-san had mentioned, the elves has delayed their visit for a year now, something that hasn’t happened in eighty years or so, the humans never got to know the reason for that either.  

   Then there are those who doesn’t believe in the holy ritual, they suppose it’s nothing but a blatant lie. There were times when Haruka found it difficult to have faith in the legend as well. It isn’t easy to accept something as irrational and unexplored - for the humanity at least – as the concept of the elves is.

   He figures that’s probably one of the reasons to why everyone obsesses over this legend though. There are so many mysteries and unanswered questions, so why wouldn’t you want to know more about it? The ‘real world’, where there are no such thing as magical powers and creatures, carries less and less secrets the more the inhabitants explores it. The human’s world is soon an old, reread book that’s about to stay forgotten on the book shelf.  However, this ‘fantasy world’ covers fresh secrets and laws unknown to humanity. Of course the humans will throw themselves over this tantalizing story.    

   ‘ _Are we prepared to unfold the secrets of the elves land?’ ‘What will we do with the information?’ ‘Is it perhaps for the best that the elves shows their back at us, for peace between both beings?’_

   With more thoughts about the unnatural world rather than about what was on his shopping list, Haruka eventually arrives at the grocery shop. He hears a faint sound of a cheering crowd right before taking a step inside.  

   “Good evenin’ Nanase,” the cashier, a middle-aged man named Hayashi, says and Haruka returns his greeting. The shop has always been rather small and the cashier and his now one customer are the only people here.

   The young man’s mission is simple: to find all the supplies that is missing in his fridge, which is a lot. Hayashi helps him, he is another person Haruka has known for a long, long time. They small talk a little, about work, school and possible future life, until Haruka has found everything he needs.  

   They go to the desk to pay, Hayashi humming a song while putting the groceries in plastic bags, something he insists on doing himself, as he has nothing else to spend with his energy. Haruka is grateful and while waiting he picks up a newspaper lying before him. As usual, the news are indeed boring.

   There’s an article about a mother claiming that her son is ‘the chosen one’ and that he has been taken by the elves in secret. Apparently, the nineteen-year-old boy used to live in the U.S., but then transferred to Japan and has not been in contact with his mother for over six months.  

   _‘As a young boy he always seemed determined on something. Even though I feel heartbroken for his disappearance, it makes sense that the elves would choose him as our guardian!’_ said a quotation. Under the mother’s commentary is a photo of the son; a young blonde-haired boy, owner of lips that kind of looks like a duck’s beak.

   False alarms - another thing Tamura-san had mentioned earlier. Haruka knows he cannot be the only one who started to think that these fakes got boring and repetitive. They are everywhere, people wants attention and creates rumors to get famous, as always. They want to be the chosen one, even people with no Japanese background loves to claim the holy ritual as a part of their culture.

   Because being the chosen one means you are powerful, right? Powerful, which means famous – or infamous – powerful, which means _power_.    

   And as always, the humans wants power.

   It’s _usual_.

   Like his old neighbor Tamura-san, like the cashier whom has been working at the same place for as long as Haruka can remember, like this small town, like this whole world, nothing ever changes.

   Changes might happen before other’s eyes, but for Haruka, it doesn’t.

   “What d‘you think is happening out there?” Hayashi suddenly asks and glances at the front door.

   Haruka stills, looking up from the newspaper and notices all the sudden, loud noise coming from outside. It sounds like people are shouting, cheering, as if a huge gathering is being held right outside the shop. He also hears the sound of propels, like the sound of a helicopter. The boy frowns.  

   He carefully lays the dreary newspaper down.

   “I have no idea.”

   Hayashi walks away from the now full packed grocery bags to the front door with slow steps and then proceeds to open it. The sound of people cheering and blistering wind increases. He gasps as he looks outside.

   Suddenly curious, Haruka grabs his heavy bags of groceries, follows Hayashi and steps outside to share the same view.

   It is like a giant parade.

   At first, the hundreds of people that are crowded on the street prevents the cashier and his customer to notice what this commotion is about right away. Then they eye upon the middle of the street, where great horses pulling astonishing carriages moves through the chaos.   

   The three carriages are hazel brown and carries a beautifully molded flower pattern on its sides, while the horses are so majestic and gorgeous that it is nearly impossible to glance away. Behind the carriages walks young human-like men and women wearing traditional Japanese clothes. They are carrying unique flowers and lanterns, and their hair and eyes are in all kinds of different colors.

   Leading the parade are ten-or-so human-like beings in enormous sizes, looking like soldiers. They are wearing big helmets and armor walking in a slow, perfect rhythm. Most of the people witnessing this are filming the scene, using their phones. Only a few dares to take a step closer towards the soldiers to get a better shot.  

   The earlier sound of propels didn’t fool the boy, for there is indeed a helicopter, sailing in the sky over this particular huge mess that takes place in this particular tiny city.

   “T-the elves,” Hayashi utters. “It must be ‘em, that’s right, I’ve seen ‘em once before!”

   Haruka doesn’t say a word, but when witnessing this entrancing sight, he has no choice but to believe in Hayashi’s statement.   

   Before neither of the two confused men at the grocery shop are able to fully grasp the unbelievable scenery, a shiny, black Toyota Sienna parks right in front of them. The tires makes a screeching sound as the minivan was probably just driving above this area’s speed limit.  

   A small camera crew, consisting by a woman with a microphone and a young man carrying a professional camera gets out of the car in a hurry.

   “Shit, they’ve even sent a helicopter,” the cameraman says right after getting out of the van, squinting at the sky. “Other than that, it looks like we’re the first ones.”

   The woman seems more fascinated by the parade than the helicopter, despite the sight however, she does not move a fascial muscle until she speaks.

   “Good, I need you ready as soon as possible, Mr. Sato.”

   “Yes, ma’m.”

   While the two are preparing themselves and moving cables leading into the car, the mystical parade is slowly moving closer and the crowd with it. Even more people are arriving on bikes, in cars, or on foot to be a part of this event, completely filling the small street and leaving less and less personal space to the entire audience.

   As the cameraman – Mr. Sato – points the camera at his coworker, a teenage group that Haruka recognizes are from his school quickly finds the way into the camera shot behind the reporter, showing peace-signs and fooling around. One glare from the woman and the teenagers backs away. She then assures herself that her hair is on point when Sato starts recording.

   “’Kay, we’re live in three, two …!”

   “Good evening everyone, I’m Nakano Miyako from Ginzan press reporting live from Iwatobi, where the holy ritual is about to happen. We all have been anticipating their one-year belated visit and today, on March 26, the show is finally on. As you can see, people are filling the street as everyone wants to get a glance of the legendary mazoku-beings. Who will be the Holy Guardian this time, and why the extra-long wait, are probably the questions everyone are asking themselves at this very moment-“

   Haruka directs his attention from the reporter – whom weirdly had just called the elves for mazuko out in the public with no problem at all – to the moving parade.

   The elves are much closer now, the tramping horses and soldiers looking more intimidating and the crowd around them keeps surrounding the entire street. As they get closer, a strange smell of exotic plants gets stronger and stronger.

   The beings carrying flowers and orange lanterns behind the carriages are less frightening than pretty much anyone else in this entire mess, if it wasn’t for the spiritual atmosphere then Haruka would probably think of them as nothing else than humans wearing fake, big ears and kimono.   

   One of them seems quite energetic, a jumping boy who’s smiling and posing before the fascinated crowd. The boy does a swift movement with his hand and a small flower appears on the palm of his hand out of nowhere. He gives it to two children he’s passing by, and they stare at it in complete awe. Another male, being slightly taller than the excited boy yet appearing to be around the same age, tries to appease him by carefully grabbing his shoulder.

   Haruka had seen popular videos and pictures of the elves before, everyone kind of knew how they looked, however they seem more human-like up close than he’d ever imagined.  

   Then, in only a matter of a few seconds, the tramping of the giant horses and soldiers had stopped and the carriages wasn’t moving anymore. Everyone had quieted down.

   The parade – and the crowd with it – had stopped right in front of Haruka.

   He looks at Hayashi, who is now for some reason standing many steps away from him, eyeing at him warily. As Haruka continues to look around, he realizes that he has in all of a sudden become the center of attention.

   The teenage group from earlier are pointing at him in surprise, the cameraman is filming him, along with all the others recording using their phones. All the giant soldiers and horses, as well as the helicopter far up in the sky seems more menacing than ever.

   Everyone has fallen into a distinguishable silence, only the propels in the sky making noise.

   Haruka tightens his grip around the handles of his weighty grocery bags. He sure has never felt this confounded in a very, very long time.

   One of the younglings from behind the carriages walks up to him with wary steps. He looks like he is around Haruka’s age, if not younger, and looks quite nervous as he slowly places himself in front of the human, while carrying something that looks like a parchment.

   His hair is blue and he wears a pair of red spectacles.

   He clears his throat as he – obviously – is about to make an approach to Haruka.

   Approach to him… about… something… in front of the entire crowd…

   No, wait, _what?_

   _No. No, it can’t be-_

   “Your grace, Nanase Haruka,”

_Oh boy._

   “We are the elves, traveled from the elves’ land to welcome you. It is an honor for us to announce that yours truly ancient ancestor has given you the ability of crossing the portal between each of our worlds. Meaning, your ancestors has made you destined to meet a certain group of elves to take a part of our never-ending defenses against the darker Shadows and to prevent the possibility of a certain era of darkness. As our hundred-and-sixty-fourth human guardian, you are a part of a thousands of years old tradition: the holy ritual. In which our each worlds are collaborating to protect our existence, our peace, and our light.”

   For a split second, Haruka can’t hear a single word of what the elf is saying. His fast pulse and heavy heartbeat is so loud, it wouldn’t surprise him if the whole town could hear it. Red-glasses continues speaking nonetheless. 

    “We swear that we always have and always will have good intentions for your soul and your people. Our prayers are for you to save us. If the chosen human accepts our request, they shall travel to our land to then live with us, until the day you have been beneficial for protection of our world’s life and wellness. It is then optional whether they wish to stay or not.”

   “You will hereby be expected to take your time preparing yourself for this journey upon you, to then learn everything about the elves’ land and to assist us with your own unique power. We greatly hope for your cooperation as it has an important factor for both our beings’ safety.”

   The still slightly nervous elf looks up directly at Haruka’s eyes for the first time. 

   It must have been something about Haruka’s almost-consternated expression, for the boy draws an apologetic smile.  

   “This may be heavy information to sink in for you, which is only natural, but there is no need to worry, as we shall help you in every way we can,” he says. “Please feel so inclined in joining us, your grace.”    

   The boy takes a bow, and then (as if to play further with his already bewildered mind) the flower carrying people and the entire squad of soldiers, bows as well.

   “Please, your grace,” the rest of the elves repeats in unison.

   Silence.

   A part of Haruka wonders what kind of word can possibly describe exactly what he is feeling. Maybe stupefied, or maybe stunned is the right word. Befuddled works as well…

   As red-glasses was holding his speech, it felt like Haruka’s head was exploding of thoughts and revelations. Now however, he is just completely empty of words and can’t think of anything.

   This whole scenario is absolutely absurd. Of all people, how could Haruka be a guardian of two entire worlds and populations? How could he be one to hold responsibility over such an enormous duty? Moreover, what on earth can this ‘unique power’ he was mentioning be? Maybe they got the wrong guy? Yeah, that must be it!

   He realizes he has been quiet for too long when he witnesses the people around him laughing and whispering.  

   They are all waiting for him.

   _Quick, say something!_

   “Oh,” Haruka says in a murmur, looking down at the heavy bags of groceries he is still holding. “So I just wasted money on all that grocery shopping...”

   The crowd becomes deadly silent.

   “There is no need to feel let down by that. Money will be the least of your worries as we are entitled to give you all the resources you’ll need, even demands for only-human goods in the human world shall be received to you.”

    Haruka frankly doesn’t want to do anything but stay silent, he has never been one to be relatively good with words and expressions. It’s probably not a good idea adding anymore into his complain about _money_ of all things.

   Thankfully, blue-head (or red-glasses – Haruka is not very creative with nicknames) takes the initiative and walks up closer to him, now with more confident steps than before. He stops, bows his head and hands over the parchment he’s been holding. Haruka carefully drops his grocery bags on the pavement, and as he receives it, he notices how his own hands are shaking.

   “This is the contract you must sign if you feel inclined to accept your destiny as our guardian. Please read it through before making your decision.”

   Despite the boy’s puzzled mind, he takes a look at the very long parchment. It contains gracefully painted words worth admiring. He begins reading the entire contract thorough. Most of the text is pretty much already said in blue-head’s earlier speech, so there’s not much more info to take in.

   He notices one perceptible line though: _‘At times, your life may seem to be at stake. However, we shall do anything it takes to take care of your soul and your comfort, until the very day our contract of agreement has expired.’_

   The contract will be expired when he has ‘insured peace of this current era’. The text doesn’t elaborate on that.

   As he is reading, Haruka slowly begins to realize what kind of situation he has instantaneously become a huge part of.

   _This is reality._

    He looks up from the parchment to over the crowd, at the many faces looking at him, waiting for an answer. He looks at Hayashi – whom still looks astonished by the whole happening – at the camera and the hundreds of phones filming him, and at the people whispering his name. The distant helicopter doesn’t seem to bother him anymore, the surreal parade right in front of him isn’t as surreal, and the big, threatening crowd observing him is no longer big and threatening.

   He then looks at the multi-colored elves, soldiers and horses. It is a clear contrast between them and the city, like two different worlds has just collided altogether. Now for some reason, the other world’s presence has become far more welcoming.   

   Haruka has always been a person who’s honest and well aware about what he wants. Nevertheless, he has been living his past years heedless of his slow, normal – or what one would consider normal – life, while he just _might_ have felt dreaded by it.

   He has never felt attached to anything, not his weekly routines, not even his hometown.  

   There has never been a sign of future drastic changes for his lifestyle–

   –Until now.

   He doesn’t have to live in the norm anymore.

   Haruka takes a deep breath in and out and directs his gaze at the being before him.

   Just how much courage must it have taken Haruka to utter his next words?

   “I’ll sign the contract.”

   It is as if he dropped a bomb, for as soon as the words leaves his mouth, the entire crowd explodes in cheers. The flower-carrying elves are all smiling as well. None of the chosen humans has ever rejected this offer in the entire history of the holy ritual, yet everyone are celebrating in amazement.

   As he finished speaking, sweat ran down his back like a waterfall, it felt like his vision was growing smaller bit-by-bit. Still, he looked forward at the audience before him, thinking – _feeling_ that what he has done was the right thing to do.  

   “Magnificent!” red-glasses says in delight. “You are more than welcome to take your time before your travel, your grace, we are inclined to wait for you as long as you prepare yourself.”

   Haruka folds the parchment and puts it safely down in one of his grocery bags. Everything is still very much puzzling for him, yet one thing makes him less indecisive, one thing being some sort of an unfamiliar feeling. A feeling that is impossible to describe.  

   A feeling of something waiting only for him.

   He faces blue-head again.

   “Give me seven days,” he requires.

   “P-pardon?”

   “I need a week, then I’ll be ready to go.”

   The elf takes a step back and has a hard time finding his words right away.

   “Your grace, I… I can assure you that there is no need to rush. It’s most usual for the chosen ones to spend a month or two in their homeland before beginning their journey. Let’s not make any decisions in too much of a haste!“

   “It’s fine, I already know I don’t need any more than seven days.”

   “Ah, well...”

   Blue-head slowly turns his head and looks at the other elves as if asking for help. A middle-aged woman looking out to be the oldest out of all the others nods in approval.  

   He then slightly adjusts his glasses and turns to face Haruka again.

   “Alright, seven days it is. I ask of you to deliver the signed contract by then.”

   “Yes.”

   Realizing that the shock from earlier had turned him a bit too informal, Haruka almost tumbles into a bow.

   “It is in an honor, to be chosen, I mean…”

   To his surprise, the elves are already bowing before him, it may be the second time they do this, but it is just as startling and wondrous as before. He straightens his back and is once more at a loss of words.

   These beings are a part of Haruka’s life now, just as much as he is a part in theirs.

   He has no idea what the hell he has just signed up to.

   “Then, your grace, let me introduce myself.” The elf before him raises his body from his gesture. “Ryugazaki Rei, at your service.”

   Haruka bows yet again out of courtesy and wished for a future in which they’ll work well together. Red-glasses – or Ryugazaki – gives Haruka a last smile of gratitude and then returns to his comrades.

   The ceremony is over.  

   The now more eager crowd filling the street surrounds itself closer and closer around the newborn hero.  

   “Nanase Haruka, was it? How does it feel like to be the Holy Guardian ? Do you have any special reasons you’d like to share with the world to why you’ll only need seven days before your lifelong duty?”

   “Hey, Nanase! I’m Mochizuki from middle-school! Remember me?”

   “You’re so hot! Do you exercise a lot?”

    Even though all these people are already praising him like he’s a saint, his body reminds him that nothing about his human-self has changed thus far, for Haruka hears his own stomach rumbling.

   Oh right, he was going to make dinner, wasn’t he? What time is it? Maybe he should go back to his house…

   “Alright, alright, give the boy some space now,” Hayashi bellows and places himself in front of Haruka to back away the audience. Haruka is quick to pick up his heavy grocery bags and presumes to leave the crowd in haste, in hopes of having a meal before midnight.

   Alas, Hayashi’s helping hand isn’t good enough as a stream of people keep following the young boy, continuing asking him questions.

   “Can we take a selfie together?”

   “Nanase Haruka, could you please tell us a little about yourself? How old are you?”   

   “Just one selfie, please? And maybe a hug?”

   He could try to see from the audience perspective. This boy will most certainly be known over the whole world in just a matter of time, so this is their chance to get a piece of fame right before it’s too late. Yes, yes, Haruka could try to be patient with the crowd and fulfill their wishes – but food is calling _._   

   This Sunday has certainly been everything else but normal.

 

 

 

_Has this house always been this small before?_

   Haruka holds his grip around a pack-filled suitcase in his one hand and his life-changing contract in the other. His backpack feels heavy on his back as he stands, contemplating his bedroom. The bedroom where he has been spending so much time of his life, and always stayed the same. A room that he has never given as much thought about as he is now.

   It is indeed small, but Haruka never did mind. The house wasn’t anything spectacular, but it worked as a house, and that has always been good enough.

   Still, the room is different now.

   Maybe he has been right the whole time. Maybe the world doesn’t change, but the mind of the viewer does. 

   It really is a weird feeling, to see the life before one take a complete one-eighty like that.

   Seven days of being a hero. A hero that hasn’t done anything yet, but has instead sent resignations to school, job and activities, bid goodbyes to old classmates and acquaintances and the people at the dojo, been interrupted by the police guarding his house and talked to countless of reporters.

   It didn’t take much of a long time until Haruka finally had to accept that interviews and news about him were inevitable, regardless of his biased opinions.

    The police had been surrounding his house, to prevent any unwelcomed people and reporters from bugging Haruka. A group of police officers had been guarding the elves as well – as if the pack of giant elf soldiers wasn’t good enough.  

   While everyone else were begging for Haruka’s attention, the elves hadn’t spoken one word to him since the holy ritual. They had rested in tents and carriages for the last days and were very accepting for interviews, though they weren’t really good at answering the questions.

    _‘What is the reason for the one-year delay?’_

_‘Unfortunately, our royalty has chosen not to elaborate on the subject, though we hope we will meet our schedule next time.’_

_‘Then what can you tell us about our previous chosen hero? The whole world is dying to know how our boy’s doing!’_

    Luckily, Haruka wasn’t the only one all over the media. For there was indeed another human, someone who had just experienced the life that lies before Haruka. Someone presumably under just as much – if not even more – surveillance and pressure.  

   The headline, _‘Yamazaki Sousuke - reunited with family after six years in the elves’ land’_ , is everywhere.   

This Yamazaki-guy seems like the only one out of his comrades that weren’t exactly eager about answering questions. Apparently, his time in the other world has been great. He had been happy with growing up along with the elves, and he wishes to live there for the rest of his life. Haruka finds it odd how he chose not to stay with his family. There must be something in the other world that makes him want to go back…  

   Like his comrades, Yamazaki wouldn’t give all the information that the reporters wanted either. _‘Classified information’_ must be his favorite words judging by the interviews. During the holy ritual, he had been waiting inside one of the carriages, to prevent drawing any attention away from the scene. At the same time, people had been arguing about if anyone would recognize him after all these years in the first place.  

   Haruka had just barely met him. On the fifth day after the ceremony, he had participated as a guest at a famous talk show, called _The Unfamiliar_. A talk show that is solely based on the unnatural life of the elves and has become a part of the historical tradition, as they have interviewed all of the recent Holy Guardians after the shows debut.

   One doesn’t reject the offer of being a part of this talk show, that has become a norm, though Haruka knew he’d never accept if he really didn’t want to. He thought it was for the best to say yes, so people would fuss less about him.

   Besides, it was just supposed to be an interview.

   Yamazaki had appeared on the stage before him, right after they’d presented a video montage featuring the previous chosen humans. His interview had gone well, though he is tall, has a threatening appearance and is short with words he even managed to draw out a nice and comfortable atmosphere for everyone watching.

   Then it was Haruka’s turn.

   Before he entered the stage, he already knew how the attention would be tiring for him. He knew he was just there for entertainment purposes.

   What he didn’t know however, was that they would create pity out of him.

   _“I have to ask Nanase, how is your family doing? I’m sure they must be miserable for your departure.”_

_“…I don’t have a family.”_

   Of course the host knew that. The host, being an outgoing old man who weren’t afraid of telling blunt and offensive jokes, surely had gone through all the information about Haruka, as a host preparing themselves for an interview would generally do, and yet he had made Haruka spit those words out in front of the entirety of the earth’s population.

   It was to create a cheap surprise, to make the audience gasp out of shock. Now everyone will root for the young tragic boy, and Haruka fucking hates it.

   He was obliged to talk about how he was raised by his late grandma after the loss of his parents, until she passed away as well. Then he had to answer questions about how the child welfare had been treating him the past years, how they were feeling about this whole thing about him being ‘the chosen one’.  

   Annoying news and interviews, that is something Haruka surely won’t be missing in the other world.

   The boy sighs. He turns off the lights in his bedroom and closes the door after him.

   There’s only one memento from his house he will bring with him, being the one bokken he has trained with all his life after he received it from his parents.

   Every step he takes, while heading to his front door, feels like his last. He open the door and feels the fresh, biting air crawl its way up his nostrils.

   It’s Sunday morning and spring is still kicking in.

   They are all awaiting him outside. Flashing lights appear as a paparazzi crew are taking pictures. The great horses are patiently standing in position. Red-glasses – no, Ryugazaki – and two other men stands in front of all the others, making him seem way smaller than he actually is compared to the giant soldiers. The elves all bows, astonishing Haruka yet again by the unfamiliar greeting. One of the carriages has a wide open door, ready only for him.

   “Your grace, how has your week been?” Ryugazaki asks.

   Beside him stands a taller figure. That must be Yamazaki. He is wearing a yukata like all the others, and his look is yet again rather stern and nearly aggressive for no apparent reason.

   “Good,” Haruka replies while looking away from the other human. “I’ve finished all my errands in time.”

   “Splendid!” Ryugazaki says. His timid side from seven days ago is no more. “The only thing left to do before our departure is for you to deliver the signed contract of agreement.”

This is it, Haruka thinks for himself. He could turn back to his abandoned bedroom with the contract right at this very moment and ditch this life-changing opportunity.

   But he doesn’t. 

   Instead, he walks towards the elf pack, away from his house, and hands over the parchment. Ryugazaki bows.

“We look forward to work with you, your grace.”

   Haruka averts his eyes away.  

   “I won’t get used being addressed as that… Just using my name is fine.”

   “Oh! Sou-chan said the exact same thing when we met him!”

   This time it isn’t Ryugazaki talking, but a shorter boy standing at his left side. Yellow hair, pink, huge eyes and a big smile. Haruka thinks he recognizes him from the ritual.

   Ryugazaki looks down at the other and smiles. He places a hand on his comrade’s shoulder. The boy meets Ryugazaki’s stare and calms down a bit, though the smile refuses to leave his face. For some reason, the deep look their giving each other – that only lasts for a second – makes Haruka feel like he should look away.

   “Then I’ll call you Haruka-senpai, if that’s preferred,” Ryugazaki continues. “After all, you are one year my senior…”  

   “And I’ll call you Haru-chan!”

   Haruka shivers at that uncalled-for casual nickname.

   “Please drop the chan.”

   “He won’t.” Yamazaki opens his mouth for the first time in front of Haruka. His voice is deep, and for some reason, he’s no longer glaring like earlier, but is instead scratching his left arm. “Speaking from experience.”

   “I’m Hazuki Nagisa,” the joyful boy announces. “You can call me whatever you want!”

   “Very well, that’s settled!” Ryugazaki says before Haruka can give any more complains. “Our travel is long and will last throughout three sunrises, so we better get going.”   

   As if on cue, the squad of soldiers and elves marches to their positions back and in front of the vehicles – Yamazaki and Hazuki joining them – while Ryugazaki escorts Haruka to one of the carriages. A pair of elves receives his baggage and carries it to a carriage. Haruka notices how beautiful the vehicles are up close and then takes a last glance at his house before stepping inside.

   After looking at the old building, Haruka realizes he didn’t get the chance to say goodbye to his neighbor, Tamura-san. He told her he would see her soon, but for some reason, she weren’t to be found in her house. He wonders if they will ever meet again.

   One of the soldiers closes the door behind him, and he sits down on the surprisingly comfortable wooden seat in the surprisingly big-spaced room.

   “Are you ready, Haruka-senpai?”

   It’s like he is about to take off in a plane. A plane that is heading to an unknown destination carrying an unknown future. A plane that’s about to make him leave everything he has behind, with no promise of returning back.

   Maybe it isn’t too late for him to change his mind. Maybe he still has a chance of discarding this deal and run back to the life he has grown so used to. He can totally say ‘no, take me back’ and break the promise he has made.

   But he doesn’t.

   Haruka directs his look forward and takes a deep breath. 

   “Let’s go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next: If you ever see a human's soul, then by all means keep your mouth shut.


	2. If you ever see a human's soul, then by all means keep your mouth shut.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is - the second chapter of Collided!  
> If you have any constructive feedback to provide with then that is highly appreciated!  
> If you'd like to, you can find me @ thekaspan on tumblr and twitter.  
> Hope you'll enjoy!

 

_A dream._

_He can’t tell whether it’s cold or warm, merely that the thin air is encircling him._

_Someone is there, someone not so distant, but still too far away to recognize who it is._

_A hand reaching out to him._

_A name used to call to him._

He wakes up with tears in his eyes and doesn’t remember a thing.

 

    

   _Ouch. Ouch. Ouch._

Haruka Nanase has always been a morning person, but when he wakes up to his pillow forcefully punching the back of his head and hears noises coming from everywhere, he really does not feel like greeting the day.

   Despite him feeling cranky however, he decides to open his eyes.

   _Oh right._

   There are no pillows punching his head. In fact, he’s not even sleeping on a bed. He finds himself leaning towards a wall made off an unknown tree material inside a wobbling carriage, made by no others but the elves themselves.

   Seems like he dozed off. He straightens his back and yawns.

   The carriage is trembling, for the horses pulling it have marched day and night just like the elf pack, neither having changed their pace once.

   Apparently, the elves can walk for many days without rest, as long as there’s water and food – and magic, had Hazuki quite happily included – even so, Ryugazaki had suggested to take breaks so Haruka and the former Holy Guardian – Yamazaki – could sleep in a tent, instead of in a moving carriage.

   Haruka had insisted not to do that because, well, he honestly didn’t mind it that much. Weird how he suddenly did this time after two whole days of traveling. 

   Two days of traveling… Ten days since the holy ritual. Ten days since his life took a drastic turn.

   He doesn’t regret his choice as of yet. Even though he has only left Iwatobi once before as a kid, he doesn’t think he’ll get homesick any time soon. What are there to miss anyway? Maybe the dojo, maybe some memories, but now when he really is gone, it feels like he never had any true connection to his hometown at all.  

   He rubs his eyes and feels the last bit of sleepiness fade away.

   It must be morning, for the darkness outside is not so dark anymore. While looking out the tiny window, he notices a thick, golden orange stream flow in the horizon, a friendly reminder that a sunrise is on its way to dominate the plain sky. A rare sight, and it’s so calming, Haruka forgets what was just bugging him earlier.   

   They should be close by the portal now.

   On the first day of their travel, he was puzzled as of how no one came to be following them. When asked, Ryugazaki answered that already after walking for about half an hour, the pack had vanished from the world. That they were nowhere to be found at that point.  

   They’re suspended in the rift between worlds, in a place known to the elves as ‘ _No Man’s Land’_.  

   A god-forsaken place, invisible to everything but the ones carrying a magical soul. This is the reason to the concept of the holy ritual. Haruka, whom has the blood of ancient Gods running inside his veins, is one of the very few human beings able to pass by this place.

   _“If one spends too much time in no man’s land, their existence will be erased,”_   Ryugazaki had stated further.

   Haruka couldn’t help but feel slightly distressed by the answer. To not be present in any world at all, to be completely gone, that’s something he can’t get used to right away. Maybe he shouldn’t have asked about it after all. They say ignorance is bliss… or something like that.

   Their road seems to be never-ending. The area is completely deserted. There is no nature to be found, no clear weather and he can’t decide if this place is either cold or warm. And during night, there’s no stars to accompany the black sky. If it weren’t for the wondrous horizon, this place would feel disturbingly haunted.  

   Yes, the wondrous, glowing horizon that for some reason appears to be much closer now.

   The boy positions himself adjacent to the window for a better look. He’s right, the rising sun sneaking up behind the horizon is so close and enormous that it’s almost unbelievable. The bright sunlight is so intense, but he doesn’t even feel the need of squinting his eyes. The sight is too entrancing to look away from.

_Closer, closer._

   He can no longer hear the tramping of the horses. He can’t feel the trembling wagon.

   _Closer, closer._

   Sound, smell, touch, almost all the senses doesn’t matter anymore. It is only the vision, only the colossal sunrise that is worth noticing. He feels invisible to all entities.

   _Closer, closer._

   Orange light absorbs him and he feels himself going beyond the sun, away from the haunting place, away from everything.

   All he can see is the light. 

  

 

   Haruka suddenly finds himself placed in a foreign world.

 

 

**_________________________________________________________ **

 

 

   When it turns to spring and the sky is brighter to expose the nature of its true colors, one can finally feel everything being clearer to the naked eye, as if they have awakened from a long winter hibernation. At spring, the sun not only casts down its beloved light, but also this clearer feeling.

   It is morning in the elves’ kingdom, and the whole forest is well aware of the newborn day.

   Creeks of water makes its ways through the earth, between sticks and stones, in sounds of a ticking clock. The forest is never silent proves the songs of the creeks, the birds, the leaves and all the different kinds of life in the woods.

   Observing the forest is a boy soon to become a man, while sitting on the porch outside his dear friend’s new house.

   It’s a bit cold, he won’t lie, but the forest’s tranquility makes it worth the cool air.

   Suddenly, he witnesses something rustling in a bush not far away. A bit startled, he quietly changes his sitting position to on to his knees, looking warily at the moving plant.

   But there’s nothing to fear, for out comes a little beloved creature. It seems to be very young, it walks on its four paws, down the way between the creeks and rocks and stops when it has reached the boy’s knees, which it gladly shoves its head against in affection.

   The boy tenderly giggles and pats the animal behind its ears.

   This is probably his favorite kind of animal. A species that originally lived in another world, until a long time ago, when a few examples got transferred to this land, where it eventually evolved into a new kind. It’s got soft fur, a tail, long whiskers, and mysterious yellow eyes, but most importantly; the flowers on its back has finally begun to grow.

   The flowers has a sweet scent to them, and are a citrine hue of yellow, just like the creature’s eyes. Since spring is here, it is only natural for the wild animals to bloom along with the plant kingdom. Crooked roots from the flowers crawls down the little one’s legs. That creature should be careful, if it stays in one place for too long, the roots just might find its way to its paws and then the earth and make it become a plant for the rest of its life.  

   Maybe he should adopt the animal? He could have it sleep in his house so there’s a less chance of it turning into a flower. Also, during winter it will have a warm place to live in! The animal is purring, so it wouldn’t mind having the boy as its owner, would it well?

   While considering the idea of orphaning the animal, he hears the sound of two people’s footsteps walking behind him.  

   “Honestly Makoto, we leave you in only a few minutes, and you manage to call forth a wild kitten.”    

   The boy – Makoto Tachibana – turns his head and notices his two childhood friends standing at the entrance door, both of them seeming to be in wonder.

   The one who spoke was Rin Matsuoka, standing next to his little sister Gou Matsuoka. Only a year apart, they’re both owners of magenta-colored hair and wearing their own, dark colored kimono. Though similar in looks, their personalities is a different case.

   Makoto chuckles.  

   “Heh, I wish I knew the spell to summon cats, but this one appeared here by itself.”  

   “I didn’t know those things lived around here!” Gou remarks. She walks and then crouches next to Makoto, staring down at the flowers on the kitten’s back in awe. “It’s adorable.”

   Makoto nods in agreement.

   Since the two others had left him standing alone, Rin takes a few steps closer to the edge of the porch and crouches as well.

   He stretches his arm to pet the cat, but to no avail, as the creature jumps back in fear and runs away up between the creeks and stones and into the woods in such speed that no one had the chance to react before it was completely out of sight.

   “…It left,” Makoto says, feeling rather disappointed.

   “It must’ve been your teeth, brother.”

   “Oi, shut up,” Rin hushes at Gou as he decides to sit down and rest back on his palms. “Anyway, it’s for the best that it ran away, a few more minutes and Makoto would probably consider taking it with him.”

   Makoto flinches his shoulders.    

   “H-How did you know I would do that?”

   “Wait, WHAT? You were seriously thinking about it?”

   Gou laughs. She sits down as well and dangles with her feet as she speaks.

   “Owning a cat sounds like a lot of fun! Maybe I’ll convince mom to get one once I’m back home.”

   Rin and Makoto is silent and glances at her, now reminded of her presently departure.

   Gou and Makoto are both visiting Rin and his housemate’s new residence. The sibling pair has spent the morning so far preparing and packing for Gou’s travel back home to their mother. Even though her reminder was rather happy-sounding and she’s still dangling with her feet all smiling, the mood has been replaced with an empty quietness.

   She is returning to her home, back to her mother, back where she can be safe and happy. After a week of finally being together, she is going back again, while they are staying here.

   None of them knows if they will see each other again.

   Makoto smiles in hopes to brush away the unbearable silence.

   “That’s right, the ride is arriving shortly, isn’t it?” he resumes.

   “And I’ll be accompanying her for a little while,” Rin quickly adds. “So we’re leaving you alone.”

   “…Yeah, w-which leads me to another thing!” Gou says, it’s almost like she’s in a hurry for changing the topic. “I’m really glad you let me visit you, since, you know, I could see Makoto-senpai and the others and… Thanks to Rin visiting mother and I before I went here, it feels like we’ve had even more time together than we usually get…”

   Rin hums and squints at the sun. 

   “Yeah, I guess I feel the same. We should do it that way next year as well.”

   Gou’s eyes lights up after hearing such an honest answer from her brother. She looks up at the sky as well and mouths the words ‘next year’.

   “You should,” Makoto adds. “Having you here won’t be dangerous as long as we’re with you, and it’s so nice to finally see you again, Gou-chan.”

   “It’s Kou,” Gou comments in a murmur, before her tune of voice becomes soft again. “And I think it’s been nice too, I don’t even want to count how many years it has been since last time…”

   The swinging feet has now stopped moving and she stares down at her hands.

   “Also, even though the others traveled to the other world right before I got here, just being us three has been very nice, I think.”

   “I agree,” Makoto says, with a smile curving his lips.

   It is the time for the holy ritual. A happening that only occurs every sixth spring in another not-so-distant world, more precisely in the country carrying the name Japan. A happening that will assure the elves’ that not all hope is lost, and they are not fighting alone.

   A new human will soon be on their way to help them.  

   They will be awaiting the sound of the five chiming bells to announce the human’s arrival. Only a few people get to join the pack traveling to the human’s world. And since this time’s Holy Guardian is said to be a male around their age, the majority of the pack are accommodated by teenagers and young adults, a tiny factor to make sure the human will feel more welcome in their presence.  

   Granted, the previous chosen human always joins the pack, so they are able to finally meet their family after being separated for so many years. However, there are only the few lucky ones out of the elves that get the chance to travel this exceptional journey.

   And because it just so happens that Rin’s one and only soulmate was the previous Holy Guardian, he hoped to be one of those lucky ones for the chance of joining his true love. Which he just so happened to be not.

   In an instant, Gou’s serious look turns into a smug grin.

   “Besides, if Sousuke-kun was here, Rin would be _all over him_ and I wouldn’t get the chance to be with my _dear big br_ -!”

   “Ok that’s it,” Rin interrupts and stands up. “I’m taking you out!”

   “H-Hey!”

   Gou stands up as well and follows her brother into the house, nudging at his clothes. Makoto observes their bantering and huffs out a laughter.  

   Everyone destined to spend their life in the elves’ land has a soulmate. This is an everyday miracle the population has grown quite fond of. Even though Rin is usually a bit too proud of his relationship with Sousuke Yamazaki, he always becomes flustered as soon as somebody else points out their love for each other.

   Twenty short minutes later, the awaited carriage arrives and they have to bid their goodbyes.

   Makoto had just gladly helped the coachman bring the baggage to the vehicle and finally, the sibling pair are ready to go onboard. Right before she’s about to take a step into the carriage, Gou stands still. She won’t move. Her shoulders are trembling.

   “Kou-chan?” Makoto carefully asks.

   She turns to face him, and Makoto notices how her eyes are suddenly all watery.

   “Promise me that you’ll all stay safe, okay?” She tries to smile, but her lips only draws twitching movements.  

   Makoto looks at Rin, who isn’t saying anything, but looks instead away. Away at the many trees in the peaceful forest. Of course they will do anything to stay safe, of course they want to reassure her that everything is going to turn out all right.

   But they can’t make any promises.  

   He takes two steps towards Gou and gently clutches her into a big hug.

   This whole week while she’s been visiting them, she had seemed so happy. She would continue coming up with good points as of how it was for the best that Rin stayed here while Sousuke was away, only to cheer her grumpy brother up. She would smile, laugh, and look cheerful, but at the same time, she has been the one worrying over them and experienced sorrow. Makoto admires how strong Gou really is.  

   “We’ll see each other again,” is all he can tell her.

   They had left it at that, and then they were gone. The ride takes many hours, and even though Rin is only going to join until they reach to about a fifth of the trip, he won’t be back until late after midnight.  

   After their farewell, Makoto decides to return to the barracks. The walk isn’t long. After all, they are in the Northern nation, where everyone are supposed to live in the vicinity of everyone.    

   Gou is going back to the Southern nation, to the tremendous and safest land. All the elves tries to assure themselves a home in this peaceful nation, if not there then they’ll find a place in the west or east, for those two will do good as long as one doesn’t travel too far away from their homes during night time.  

   Makoto, Rin and Gou grew up happily in the Southern nation as kids, until one day their former king gave out a new order. An order to make all families with a child born in a certain decade to train, fight and live in the Northern nation, to protect their small, precious world. The population size had decreased heavily over the last fifty years, and rumors says the elves are about to witness a desperate period for the first time in two whole centuries. Rin had accepted the order right away for his little sister’s safety, while Makoto, whom at that time was an only child, had no choice.

   The Northern nation can be dangerous, so only those who are lucky enough to have permission gets to pass through the border regularly. However, once a year the inhabitants of the Northern nation has the opportunity to meet their families. Makoto had visited his a couple of weeks ago, and it truly was lovely to see them, though just as with Gou, their farewell had been miserable. He has a sweet mother, a caring father and two little twin siblings, thinking about them gives him hope.   

   He lives now alone in a part of the barracks, unlike Rin who has Sousuke – the Holy Guardian that _‘granted should get all the luxurious lifestyle, even during desperate circumstances’_ – though Makoto is fine with the room he has. He doesn’t need anything special for a house, as long as he has people he hold dear around him, which he does.   

   The avenue is quiet today, and the chill air has now turned biting cold.

   He reaches the barracks in a rush and as soon as he’s inside the giant building, he is met by the sound of silence yet again.  

   It has only been a week since some of his best friends traveled to the human world for the holy ritual, yet he already seems to miss the usual delightful mood his comrades would give in his daily life. Makoto wonders what they are doing now. Who are they talking with? How are the humans? He hopes they’re being treated well.

   Eventually he walks into his room. It’s completely dark.

   He takes a step forward and stretches his arm up the furthest he can, his fingertips barely touching the roof.

   _Light._

   In a snippet of a second, the whole surface of the roof shines a dim light, brightening up the room. 

   A humble command the people have been grateful to use since the beginning of their time. It is the tiniest form of magic that’s so easy a toddler could do it.  

   The room is no longer drowned in darkness and Makoto can finally lay his eyes upon his little home.    

   The plain furniture, one of them being a huge, old mirror he inherits from the former resident, are the only ones greeting him. He views himself in the reflection. Green eyes, pointy ears, brown hair, a broad, tall body he has yet to grow used to, and a small light source floating deep inside his chest.

   That light shows his soul, something only for him and an unknown person to see. A green ball of brightness. The light is not too sharp (it would probably get annoying by time if it were to be otherwise) yet it’s weird to think that something so clear is invisible to everyone and everything around him.

   Well _almost_ everyone, but the thought of someone out there being able to see his soul honestly frightens him a bit. For now, he chooses not to think further regarding that.

   This light source is what’s carrying the magic he has, this is what makes him able to make light appear out of nowhere, this is what keeps him alive and safe from the _danger_. What he needs to remember however, is that his soul won’t save him from everything, but skill and motivation does.   

   He probably should start todays training, as without his friends here, there really aren’t many other things to do.  

 

 

   “Y’know, that’s the first time I’ve seen them act so shitty to anyone,” Rin says, he takes a bite of the fried fish he is eating and continues to talk with his mouth full. “Like I know, they have to glare at by passers all fucking day, but that doesn’t give them the right to be so impatient and make us pissed off!”

   It’s the next morning and Makoto is eating breakfast with Rin. They are at the cafeteria house, a large building with an almost intimidating high rooftop, being one of the three big eating-places in the center of the city. Kids and teenagers spend their time eating and hanging out here. The students are preparing for today’s work while sentinel-standing guards are watching over them.

   The place is crowded and filled with loud noise, so Makoto has sometimes a hard time hearing what his friend is saying. What he has been able to catch up on however, is that Gou and Rin had an uncomfortable scene with the border guards by the Eastern nation.  

   Apparently, the guards had started shouting at them for taking too long time with their farewell, without any prior notice. Which leaded to Gou and Rin not getting a proper goodbye and Rin arrived home in a bitter mood.

   Makoto leans his head on his palm. His plate is empty as he already finished his dish. 

   “Sounds familiar…” he mumbles. “They were the same to me last time I crossed the border.”

   “Seriously?” Rin says and puts his chopsticks down. “What’s their problem? They’re not doing their job right, but instead being assholes to everyone!”  

   Rin hasn’t emptied his plate yet. It doesn’t seem like he wants the rest of it anymore. Dark bags are hanging under his eyes, it doesn’t look like he slept well last night. Makoto can’t imagine what he must be going through. Not only must the rushed farewell with his sister upset him, but he’s clearly trying to deal with his true love being away from him. Rin is so used to having Sousuke by his side all the time, and now they are separated. Not to mention that they have no idea how long it will take for their friends to return from their adventure. Who knows, it could even take months.

   Despite this however, Rin is incessantly shaking his one leg as he’s probably eager to go back to the dojo. All the people in the area will surely train and study hard today, and despite the morning-tired ambience, Rin is one of the few who has that little bit of extra motivation to start the day – something he didn’t always have before.

   Makoto doesn’t notice Rin’s wide-eyed gaze at something appearing behind him, before a pair of hands suddenly grabs Makoto’s shoulders, followed by someone’s chill breath against his ear.

   “ _Boo-!_ ”

   Makoto snaps a short yelp and turns around to see a pink-haired friend, obviously snickering at the surprised boy.

   “K-Kisumi?!”

   “Long time no see Makoto, Rin.”

   Kisumi, a tad bit taller than Rin but still a slim boy, does a formal bow that frankly doesn’t match his mischievous grin. Even Rin seems to have forgotten his earlier grumpy mood and is too repeating Kisumi’s name in disbelief.  Makoto laughs.

   “Kisumi! I’m so happy to see you! Have a seat!”

   Kisumi is also happily laughing and follows Makoto’s command, his pink hair bouncing as he sits down beside Rin, who’s smirking while greeting him with a brotherly pat on his shoulder. 

   They haven’t seen each other in almost a year. They’d play with each other back in the Southern kingdom. It used to be just the three of them and Gou, but everything changed when they were recruited to the Northern nation. Rin and Makoto made new friends, whilst Kisumi took a different class, as he wishes to become a guard.  

   There’s a lot to catch up on, and when they’re done with greetings and small talk Kisumi begins telling about his training.

   “Basically, it’s way tougher than I’d ever imagined,” he says, stealing a bit of cold fish from Rin’s plate – _“Hey, I was saving that for later!”._

He sighs as he scopes around the hall. “But man, look at their cool outfits, one day, I swear one day, I’ll get one like that too”.

   Like his old friends and the rest of the students going about in the hall, Kisumi is wearing a yukata. The guards he’s looking at are wearing white suits, with thick, black cloth carrying golden threads placed on their broad shoulders. Each of them carries a sword, with greatly detailed pattern on their holster.

   Rin chunks in a glass of water and coughs.

   “You’re becoming a guard cos you fanboy over the suits?”

   “Totally.”

   Makoto loves seeing Kisumi being excited over his training. He wish he could be the same…  

   “It’s too bad Sousuke, Nagisa and Rei can’t see you now,” he says and chuckles. “They just so happens to be in the human world.”

   “Wait a minute… That’s right…” Kisumi says, but it sounds like he’s more so talking with himself rather than Makoto. Makoto tilts his head confused.  

   Suddenly, Kisumi raises an eyebrow and turns around to read the giant clock on the wall. Then in less than a second, he makes an incoherent sound as he jumps off from his seat. Makoto jumped a bit in fear while Rin just stares at Kisumi puzzled.  

   “Now would you look at the time, ha-ha!” Kisumi says and try to laugh off his sudden reaction. “I gotta go, maybe I’ll see you at the Central!”

   “Eh? Why the Central?” But before Makoto has even finished asking, Kisumi has ran off and is out of sight.  

   “What was that about?” Rin asks. Makoto shrugs.

   They both decided to go clean their plates. Makoto tries to comprehend what had just happened. Kisumi lives closer to the border of the Western nation, so he rarely appears around here. He was in a hurry as well. Perhaps he happens to have a meeting of some sort, but what could that be?

   “......”

   As if on a perfect que to answer his questions, Makoto suddenly hears a clear sound of a bell chiming.  

   No, not just one bell, there are more.  

   ”......" 

   The dining hall is dead silent. No one dares to interrupt the sudden song.

   The sound of five bells resonates across the room. Across the nation.  

   It hasn’t even been fourteen days. It’s not usual to hear them so soon. Yet the five chimes from the nation’s tower are loud and clear.  

   Then the sound fades. The announcement is official.

   “They are back,” Makoto whispers.   

   “THE HOLY GUARDIAN IS HERE!”

   In an instant, people are jumping up from their seats and shouting in surprise. Some stands still and holds onto each other in confusion. Then one group by another, they start to sprint out of the building, leaving their food and belongings behind.   

   Sharp sounds of cutlery falling to the floor echoes through the hall. The floor is thundering of the many tramping and jumping elves. People are standing in queues before the entries, though most of the kids are inpatient and pushes each other out of the doors in haste. The noise is louder than ever as the students are yelling and crying in cheers.   

   “THEY’RE HERE! THEY’RE HERE!”

   “Does this mean today’s practice will be canceled? Hell yeah!”

   All the children and teenagers are running out to the streets. Poor guards tries to stop them and begs for quietude, but to no avail, as the younglings only have one thing set on their minds: to get even just the tiniest glimpse of the new hero.

   Not a minute has passed, yet the hall is already nearly empty.

   Makoto looks at Rin, who for some reason has not moved one bit. He is standing still, wrinkling his noise as if he just sensed the most repulsive smell.

   _Something feels off._  

   This past week Rin hasn’t been in his usual talkative mood, though when he talked, it was mostly regarding Sousuke or complaints about whatever was nagging his mind. Sousuke has never been away from him since many years ago and being apart is obviously difficult for Rin to handle. Makoto had expected Rin to be more eager now when he can finally meet him again.

   Then why is he not smiling and jumping out of glee?

   “Let’s join them, Rin,” Makoto tries to say with an encouraging smile. “You get to see Sousuke again so soon, how great!”  

   Rin huffs his fringe away from his face and starts moving.

   “You’re right,” is the only thing he says. He slowly walks in the direction of the tumult noise coming from the mass of people who have now begun roaming the streets.

   Makoto follows him out of the building where they are both met by a loud, cheering crowd striding down the narrow slope in the direction of the Central.

   People around them are opening the windows and doors inside their homes and market stands. They observe the singing and dancing students in amazement, only to then sprint out of their houses to join the already large parade.   

   “Stand in line, please! And keep it down for heaven’s sake!”

   Tutors and guards are waving their hands as they try to guide the students and outsiders the right way for the Central. They hush at the excited children, though some have given up, as there is no use of attempting to calm them down.

   Though silent, Makoto is excited as well. First and foremost, he looks forward to hear stories about the other world from his friends. A couple of the lucky few who got to travel were Nagisa Hazuki and Rei Ryuagazki, a year younger than Makoto, bonded by their souls like Rin and Sousuke, they have also known each other since the very day they moved from the Southern nation.

   Makoto has missed their sparkling energy and everyday humor they bring around them. He’s glad they are coming back so soon.

   Then of course, seeing another human will surely be nice! Maybe Makoto will get to even meet him and say hi!   

   After almost marching through the city for seven minutes, they finally reach the Central. The Central, being a plaza covering the ground in front of their nation’s castle, is huge. As soon as they’ve arrived at the square, the crowd is loosening up and Makoto can at last stretch his arms a bit without bumping into anyone, though people coming from all sides quickly joins in and continues to fill the plaza. There must be more than a thousand people here.

   The sharp sunlight piercing through the clouds in the sky bright up the cold spring weather. An atmosphere sending chills through the boy’s spine replaces the earlier dull morning daze.

   The giant crowd around them immediately bursts into cheers the exact moment Makoto and Rin eye upon three carriages they find familiar. The vehicles are making their way up the rocky road leading up to the nation’s dear blood red castle, followed by their flower-carrying companions.

   More people are shouting in hurrahs and points at the group approaching the castle’s entry gate. Their clapping and chants echoes through the whole plaza.    

   “WELCOME! WELCOME! WELCOME!”

   “LIGHT BEARER! LIGHT BEARER! LIGHT BEARER!”

   “He will be the light bearer, right?”

   The pack is now close to Makoto and Rin. So close, they can smell the old, yet magically fresh flowers and hear the sound of tired moans and laughter.

   “Rin-chan, Mako-chan! Over here!”

   Startled by the call, Makoto quickly looks to his left side, where a blond-haired boy is running away from the pack towards them, smiling a smile he has seen many times before.

   “Nagisa!”  

   Makoto nearly laughs out of happiness and takes a step closer to his seemingly joyful friend. The boy smiles even wider at the mention of his name. He seems energized, but noticeable dark circles covers his skin under his eyes. 

   “Join our group!” Nagisa pulls Makoto and Rin by their wrists. “Especially you, Rin-chan!”  

   “E-eh? Won’t we be in your way?”

   “Nah, nobody cares if you tag along! …I think…”

   Nagisa says that last part in such a low murmur that Makoto is unaware of the little boy’s uncertainty. Instead, he hears Nagisa moan about how tired he is.

   Rin is still silent and seems to be completely indifferent by the situation. While being dragged by Nagisa, his eyes are only searching around the area, presumably looking for a certain someone.

   Nagisa drags them into the moving elf pack without any other word, and suddenly Makoto feels a bit out of place. The ones walking with him have just arrived home from a legendary adventure and seems to be exhausted, while people from everywhere around them are cheering and surrounding them as if they are legendary gods. Makoto decides to stay close to Nagisa. He feels his ears getting warm.

   It is only for a brief moment he’s feeling tense, for suddenly he instead notices the lack of Rin’s presence.

   “Huh, where did–“

   He doesn’t even need to question it out loud, for he zips his mouth shut when detecting the red-head walking not so far away before him. Beside him walks a taller, friendly figure. Makoto smiles.

   “Hmm, now would you look at that,” Nagisa muses.

   Rin found Sousuke. Sousuke is wearing dark attire. He too seems to be tired, yet he’s grinning and walking close to Rin with linked hands. It is as if the entire jumble around them doesn’t exist.

   It’s been too long since Rin has smiled like that. Perhaps now he will finally be back to his normal, old self again, Makoto wonders.   

   Right in front of Rin and Sousuke is one of the mighty carriages, dragged by the most elegant stallion ever witnessed by any elf. Maybe that is where the human is? The wagon is trembling. If Makoto was that human, he would be trembling too. He hopes that person isn’t completely terrified…

   “Makoto-senpai!”

   Another boy is taking fast steps towards the called one. Owner of blue hair, red spectacles and obvious dark rings under his eyes, Rei approaches Makoto and Nagisa with a faint smile.   

   “Rei, there you are!” Makoto says as he notices Rei’s spectacles are a bit lopsided. “…It’s been a long journey, hasn’t it?”

   “Indeed it has,” Rei almost says in a drawl, but he then quickly straightens his back and adjusts his glasses. “But what a constructive and thrilling journey as well!”

   “Rei-chan, you look like you’re about to pass out,” Nagisa bluntly comments. Rei lowers his shoulders at that.

   “…So it’s that obvious, huh…”

   “Well you’ve clearly worked the hardest out of all of us, so it’s no wonder,” Nagisa says and pats him on the back. “Just hang in there! We’re soon back home, Rei-chan!”      

   As Nagisa’s encouraging his lover, Makoto notices how they’ve finally arrived in front of the castle. The graceful horses are slowing down, and the elves with them. It is time for the elves’ land to fully greet the human for the first time.

   Makoto turns to his two comrades.

   “I look forward to hear everything from you guys later,” he says, just loud enough to let his friends hear him through the cheers of the crowd around them.  

   They’re standing on a higher ground than before, and they now share the unbelievable sight of the whole plaza and its people standing and applauding at them.  

   Or rather – they aren’t applauding at _them_ , they’re applauding at–

   “Dear citizens of the Northern kingdom, it is with great honor that I announce the beginning of our new era!”

   It’s none other than Amakata Miho speaking, the lone representative of the Northern nation. She is standing towards the people who now have turned it down a notch with the noise. All of them are able to hear every word she has to say in her speech about freedom, hope, and a fearless life.  

   Amakata really just used to being a tutor in this nation, but her outstanding abilities of speech has earned her the place among the kid’s role models. She talks about how the journey to the other world was extraordinary and meaningful, and though she’s blithesome as she speaks, Makoto knows she must be just as tired as the others.  

   “You’ve been sent here, far away from your families and loved ones, to train and train every day for the sole purpose of protecting two worlds from the greatest treat ever witnessed by any elf and human. Every sixth spring, our dearest majesty receives a message from the heavens to tell us where to find these few humans with the capability of supporting us in this long-lasting war. Though sadly…”

   Amakata lowers her head and stops for a second. A heavy silence falls over the plaza. She then takes a deep breath and looks up to resume.  

   “–We lost our king to the enemy seven years ago,” she speaks with strong words. “Back then, all hope seemed to be at loss, however, our Holy Guardian made sure our lives were saved.”  

   Thousands of eyes lays upon Sousuke, who is glaring straight forward, not looking moved by the speech at all. Rin takes a step closer to him and gives some people staring a bitter look.

   It’s like somebody forcefully turned Makoto’s stomach upside-down. The memories from back then are too painful. He despites how there’s nothing he can do about the past, so clenching his fist seems like the only best option to keep him calm.

   However, the past is in the past and everyone, Nagisa, Rei, even Rin and Sousuke seems to be aware of that. All of them curiously glances at the carriage standing behind Amakata, who continues talking just as encouraging as before.

    “–And now, we’ll get a new hope for this new era. A new student to train with. A new hero!”

   Makoto does not feel like clenching his fist anymore. All he is thinking about is the hope for a more peaceful era than the previous one. An era where his friends won’t have to suffer, nor this so-called new hero…

   “–Let us greet our Holy Guardian, Nanase Haruka!”

   The door to one of the carriages behind Amakata opens and everyone observes quietly.  

   A human being steps outside and takes his very first step on the elves’ ground. Makoto looks at him ––

   –– and time stops.    

   Or maybe not, Makoto’s not entirely sure, but he gets the sensation that all the blood has stopped flowing through him, and that his heart has stopped completely.

   He doesn’t know if he was smiling or not. Whatever expression he had, it all faded away the moment the stranger took a step outside of that wagon.

   _That thing is…_

   There is a small light source floating deep inside the boy’s chest. The light is not too sharp… _Yeah, it would probably get annoying by time if it were to be otherwise…_ A blue ball of brightness. Blue like the deepest ocean, it feels like Makoto is helplessly drowning within it and is incapable of doing anything to stop it.

Makoto looks at him – and time continues to move on whether he wants it to or not.

   The boy is glancing at the elf pack beside him – his eyes not noticing the terrified green-eyed elf – until he follows Amakata’s lead in the front and is met by the thousands of the elves’ cheers from the plaza. Short, straight black hair, his eyes the same color as _that thing_ and his lips are parted out of surprise as he looks at the crowd before him.    

   People are applauding and soon Amakata has resumed talking, but all sounds are mute to Makoto. He can only see. He can only see the person and something that must be fake. Yes, it must be impossible…

   Yet the ones applauding and the one standing before him simply continues as if this is all real.  

   Makoto desperately looks around for signs. The others… They have to be able to see it too, right? He can’t possibly be the only one to notice it. Why are no one pointing it out? The light is as clear as the sun itself! Maybe it’s nothing but an optical illusion? He looks around. Nobody seems to be affected at all by the glowing light source. He eyes upon the boy again, and _that thing_ instantly seems even more threatening after a second look.   

   That _light_ is not fake nor a magic spell.   

   _That thing is his soul._

   He takes a few steps backwards behind the elf pack to hide in a hurry and covers his mouth with a sweaty hand. He has to be discreet, and luckily, everyone around him seems to be enough captivated by the human to not notice his sudden movement.

   He had not expected this… no… this is too sudden…

   Shaking, he quickly shift his line of sight to Rin. Rin, who is standing beside his very soulmate he met six years ago. Six years ago, Rin learned in the cruelest ways that, by all means, one should keep their mouth shut if they ever were to see a human’s soul.

   However, like all the others, Rin and Sousuke are looking as peaceful as ever. Seeing that peace and feeling something completely different, Makoto suddenly feels extremely lonely.

   Just what is he supposed to do?

   Makoto barely comes back to his senses when Amakata has finished talking and everyone are applauding. He dares to look up again at the human with the glowing soul as they are about to end the greeting.

   “Your grace, do you have anything to say to the people?”

   The boy stays silent for a while.

   “…Hi.”

   “Anything you’d like to add, your grace?”

   “…No.”  

   “Oh… well I’m sure you must be tired after your travel! Tomorrow evening there shall be a banquet held by our king himself, so we’ll make sure you’re fully rested until then, your grace.”

   The boy cordially thanks Amakata with a bow, yet his voice is far too weak for the audience to hear it.    

   The crowd responds with cheers and applause as if the boy just delivered a fantastic speech, though some are looking at each other in confusion mouthing ‘well that was quick’.

   Amakata then guides the boy towards the castle behind them. Two royal guards at the gate opens the tall doors for them. The doors are closed with a loud _bam_ and soon the boy with the blue-flaming soul is out of sight.

   People begin to split up from their groups to go back while others runs towards the elf pack to ask about their comrade’s adventure. Makoto hears something ringing in his ears. His heart is beating fast.

   “Hey Mako-chan, why did you run away just now?“

   “Eh…?”

   Nagisa has suddenly appeared by his side and Rei is standing behind him. The little one is tilting his head, looking up at the one head taller Makoto with curious eyes.

   “Are you ok? You look just as done for as Rei-chan.”

   His ears are still ringing and his thoughts are nothing but a blank paper with no letters to utter. Maybe he is obvious. Maybe everyone on the entire plaza can read right through him and expose him for his secrets to show the rest of the world–  

   No, he has to keep calm. Until he knows what is going on and what he should do, he has to act everything but nervous.

   For starters, Makoto decides to close his eyes and smile.

   “I just suddenly got a little dizzy, I’m sorry if I worried you,” he says. “Let’s return to the barracks ok? I’m sure you two could need some rest.”

   “That indeed sounds like a good idea,” Rei responds in a drawl.  

   Nagisa creases his forehead while looking at Makoto. That suspicious look doesn’t even last for a second however, as he suddenly does a small jump.  

   “Yay! Let’s skip practice!” he sings, and grabs Rei’s right hand before walking in the destination towards the barracks.   

   Makoto gives a last look over at the blood-red castle, at the great door, at the intimidating guards guarding it – before turning back to his friends again.

   The walk back shouldn’t be too long, yet every meter seems to take an eternity, and it’s like impatience is flowing through Makoto’s veins, pumping constantly to remind him of the _danger_.  

   “Hey, wait for us,” a voice behind them says, distracting Makoto from his heavy worries.

   The one who spoke – Rin – and Sousuke appears beside the three. Makoto figured they’d want some alone time, at least for the beginning, but it’s nice seeing them including themselves with the others now.

   Pushing the scary thoughts as far away as possible, Makoto calls out to Sousuke.

   “How did it go with your family?”

   The called one just shrugs his shoulders.

   “It was nice for as long as it lasted.”

   The answer was short, he didn’t even bother to make eye contact. Makoto notices how Rin suddenly glances away from Sousuke. It seems like they aren’t in a talkative mood after all.

   “I see,” Makoto says. Perhaps it would be better to wait to hear about their travel for now.

   The rest of the day remains in a blur for him.  

   He didn’t get to see Kisumi at the Central after all, and he does not know how long it will take before he gets the chance to meet him again. Rin and Sousuke departed from them and went to their house, while Nagisa had insisted on getting something to eat. Lazy chatter followed, though Makoto was only able to keep track of their comments about how the nature and architecture in the human world was so weird.  

   After that, the two adventurers needed a well-deserved rest. Makoto followed them to the building bearing their homes, secretly wanting isolation from everyone and everything. However, he had training to do, and after many hours of half-assed work, he suddenly finds himself placed in front of his dorm room yet again.

   He opens the door – he enters the room – he closes the door – darkness greets him once again. As he stands, he notices nothing has changed since the moment he saw that human. His blood is still pumping rapidly with the words _danger_ flowing through his veins, his stomach is still rolling around making him want to throw up.

   He is just so tired. The only thing he wants to do is to ignore the grim feeling and forget everything about what happened this morning.

   He does not magically light up the roof this time, but instead he just changes into his sleepwear and then drops himself down on the futon. It is time to sleep.

   But there is no way in hell he will get the chance to sleep any near good tonight.

   He is laying on his right side, his half-closed eyes fixating on the white wall with no clear focus. It’s silent. After a whole week of desiring his friends’ presence, he’s grateful to be alone now. For though his thoughts pains him and it would be nice to have somebody to talk to, he does not want anyone in the world to see him like this. 

   He clutches the bed sheets with his fist.

   _That boy…_

   Nanase Haruka is his name.

   _Nanase… Haruka…_

   They have told him to not trust the ‘illusion’ of what he just saw, they have given him the dark memories from six years ago to prove that it means nothing but scary – even fatal – things, however…

   The memories from six years ago prove the opposite, do they not?

   There is a chance of this whole thing turning out well. There’s a chance of a happy ending to this story. There’s a chance of them being wrong. Makoto finally decides to hold onto that chance. He should make a plan.

   He stays awake for hours, only to ponder and ponder. Before, his future seemed to be so simple, but now he has no idea of what to expect of his destiny. Even with tons of these questions flowing busy down the deepest waterfall, Makoto Tachibana is finally able to close his eyes and eventually fall unconscious.  

   _Nanase… Haruka…_

   He has a dream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next: A blessing and a curse


	3. A blessing and a curse.

 

_A dream._

_He can’t tell whether it’s cold or warm, merely that the thin air is encircling him._

_Someone is there, is it… a boy?_

_A hand reaches out to him._

_A name calls to him._

He wakes up with tears in his eyes and doesn’t remember a thing.

 

 

   He enters the building that will soon be his new home.

   A pair of guards closes the doors behind him.

   Like the other guards, they are also wearing white navy-ish uniforms, something that seems to be in more of a modern style rather than what the rest of this world’s population chooses for attire (well, ‘modern’ as in what the human world would consider ‘modern’ at least).   

   When the elves had come to pick up Haruka Nanase in the other world, the guards had been wearing thick armor and helmets, but for some strange reason that Haruka doesn’t know as of yet, none of them wears any kind of armor, but only carry each of their swords.

   The guards have left Haruka and the woman who has guided him around all day and are now standing on guard outside the house, where the young boy had just stepped in for the first time.

   “Here we are!” Amakata beams beside him. 

   The house is of great size compared to his previous one in Iwatobi, so great that Haruka finds himself yet again bewildered by the special treatment he receives from the elves.    

   Just the entrance hall is bigger than his former living room, and in the end of that, there is a black-colored, wooden stairway leading up to the second floor. Welcoming scents of wood, old books and leather comes from every corner.

   “What do you think?” Amakata asks. She has been very humble and kind as she’d shown him the castle, as well as some of the other leaders of this nation (that Haruka has already forgotten the names of) and she introduced him to some of the students here, whom they’d coincidently passed by.  

   Anyway, Haruka already feels like he can lean on Amakata. Here, he has no one he can fully rely on yet, so for starters, Amakata seems to be one he can trust.

   Haruka draws an honest smile on his usually lined lips.

   “I’m really impressed.”  

   “Good to hear!” Amakata says. “I know it’s been a long day – perhaps a very long week as well – so I’ll show you the basics of your new home before leaving you to yourself so you can finally take a breather.”

   “Alright, you lead the way.”

   Amakata introduces him firstly to the first floor, before moving on to the next. Every room is so big spaced, everywhere the floor is so perfectly polished, and every bit of this ‘house’ is so high-classed that Haruka honestly feels a bit out of place.

   For instant, he has four bathrooms. Four! When and why would he ever have the need for four bathrooms and a soap that smells like ‘ancient pink feathers’? _How are they ancient? Is there even such a thing as pink feathers? Does that have a smell in the first place?_  

   Moreover, the house is really old-fashioned – in a good way. Rather, this whole world makes Haruka feel like he has traveled back in time. If he were to pick a time this place resembles, it would probably be around the Edo period, though one can find bits of modern-looking materials anywhere, which reminds him that here, technology is not as necessary as it is in the non-magical world.  

   Or perhaps magic spells could be considered as this world’s technology… in a way…  

   Amakata also informs him that he has ‘human tools’ such as lamps, stoves, etcetera, because no elf will always be here to help his daily needs with magic. For even if he gets special treatment now, he won’t be living with servants and will have to face his chores alone.  

   This building is very centric in the nation and they are far away from the woods, still, Amakata warns him about some kind of bugs. “If you ever see one, then don’t be afraid to contact any local guards. Those creatures should be gone by now, but I’ll let you know about them, just in case…”

   It has taken half an hour (which says a bit about what greatness this house is) and the introduction to his new home is completed. Amakata leaves through the door after saying her last bits of advice for now, and then Haruka goes straight up the stairway, to his new bedroom.

   He falls upon the bouncy double-sized bed and stays in that position for quite a while. This must be the most comfortable bed he has ever had the honor to lay on in his whole, short life.   

   He feels the tiredness creep from his toes, upward his legs and hips and all the way through to the top of his spine. Perhaps he should just take the day and get some rest.    

   He turns to onto his back. Slowly, he fills his lungs with oxygen, before gradually breathing it out. His mind turns a little foggy, he hasn’t changed to pajamas, but right now he can’t really bother to.  

   A tall bookshelf is covering the wall standing before the bed. Sunshine breaks through the two windows on his right side and long, orange curtains forces it to illuminate the room of the same color. 

   That Yamazaki-guy used to live here. Maybe not in this room, (he has three more bedrooms after all) but still, this has been many of the former Holy Guardians’ home. Since Yamazaki no longer is ‘the new hero’, he has moved to another place.

   Haruka can picture himself getting used to this – especially because of the bed – even the soap with the feathers can become a part of his daily life in this world, if it hasn’t already with his earlier speculations around it.   

   He can get used to this. In fact, he had been preparing himself to use a lot of time only to settle down in this new world. The thing is however, that this place is more like a parallel to Japan rather than a completely different planet under another culture and behavior, so that won’t be as much of a challenge as he’d expected it to be.

   There are no devices like telephones or computers here, so that is going to be an odd change for Haruka. Electricity is a rarity in this world, at least that’s what Amakata told him. He guesses he can get used to that as it’s not of much need anymore. However, the complications of contacting others will be a challenge. Amakata told him they only use letters like in the humanity’s old days.  

   There is not only that, but Haruka realizes he has a lot of learning and reading to do.

   He barely knows a thing about this world’s history and its people anyway. He doesn’t even know what they are fighting against, what this _danger_ Amakata spoke about in her speech this morning is. What is it that is threatening this seemingly joyful people? Should he be scared? Why have they kept this information a secret for the other world? It just seems stupid…

   So, what lies before him is just learning and training, basically. It is probably going to be rough, but honestly speaking, learning about magic and fighting with supernatural beings sounds exciting.

   In an instant, Haruka’s body jerks and he immediately rises to a sitting position.

   That’s right… His heart is beating fast… He actually feels excited…

   This is a new thing for him, and though it’s a good feeling, he doesn’t know what to think of it.

   Shaking his head, he changes his mind and decides to use his last bit of energy to change clothes after all, before getting to bed again.

   He falls asleep right away with a peaceful heart and soul.

 

 

   The next day, Haruka is walking down the stairway, heading for the kitchen.

   He just took a morning bath in the biggest bathtub he has ever seen. All his fingers’ skin are in the pattern of raisins, as he was reluctant to rise up from the water for a long time. He already looks forward to his next morning bath, though that probably will end up becoming a challenge as well.

   His hair is still slightly wet and he had just lazily put on a black t-shirt and pants. His bare feet are sticky against the floor made of a foreign stone material as he steps into the kitchen, ready to make himself some breakfast.  

   He opens the fridge door. All kinds of ingredients he has never heard of are on show, though he spots some food from the human world, like cow milk, ham and cheese, potatoes, onions, carrots and – wow, there’s even a bottle with sweet chili sauce. There’s also a pair of salmon fillets…  

   … But there is no mackerel.

   A shiver struck through Haruka’s spine and he feels terror lay upon him. After searching through the fridge and all the different kitchen shelfs a second time, he is sure there are no signs of mackerel here. Wait… With different kind of nature and animal life… Does this world not have mackerel at all? No, there is no need to worry, they have salmon and rice here, along with the stuff in the fridge, so they must have mackerel too, right?

   _Right?_

   If they don’t, then he will just have to ask for a delivery, which they said they would, but… That means he will never be able go fishing for mackerel anymore for as long as he lives here… What kind of fish does the elves eat anyway?  

   With these thoughts in mind, he simply resolves to fry some of the salmon along with bits of what he has of vegetables. He doesn’t feel enough experimental to try any of the new supplies from the elves as of yet.

   It takes a while getting used to the new mechanics in the kitchen, but he is still able to fry the fish perfectly the way he wants it. Soon before the dish is completed, he sprinkles the salmon with seasoning, including some juice from a lime he found in the fridge door.  

   After turning off the stove and bringing the dish to the dinner table, he looks out the window, while simultaneously appreciating the compatibility between the sweet chili sauce and the tasty fish that he no longer minds that much for not being mackerel.  

   He watches as the sunshine breaks through the clouds high up in the blue sky. Though the sun is visible, there are threatening dark clouds hiding in the horizon, patiently waiting to take control over the sunlight.

   The sky is pretty much the same as in the human world, whereas the rest of the outside world is outstandingly colorful. When Haruka had first appeared in this world, the first thing he noticed was how weird the nature is compared to his old home. The grass is a hue of yellow, without it seeming like it’s about to wither. So many trees are carrying pink and purple buds, and Haruka honestly wonders how they’re going to look when they approach the warmer season.    

   Yes, this world seems to be… quite beautiful, actually.

   “ _––!_ ” 

   Suddenly, Haruka almost jumps when he hears the sound of something that must be a doorbell. He rises from his already finished food and strides to the entrance hall.

   When he opens the door, he forgets that guards are standing down by the end of the path, leading from the entrance to the resident’s fence door. It is not until he looks up from the doormat to at the guards eight meters away that he is able to observe the two boys whom presumably pushed the high-classed doorbell. One of them seems to be more nervous around the guards compared to the other and Haruka easily recognizes them.

   “You can let them in,” he tells the guards. Surprised by his sudden appearance, the guards promptly give the two boys a last look over before opening the gate for them.

   “Ryugazaki, Hazuki, welcome,” Haruka says as courteous as he can.

   He didn’t suspect them to visit already, but he nonetheless lets Hazuki enter the building, Ryugazaki following him while excusing himself.

   On their way through No Man’s Land, Haruka noticed how the two of them seemed to be very close. Maybe they’re just really close friends, or maybe he just shouldn’t read more into it.   

   “ _Haru-chan_ ,” Hazuki says, letting the last syllable hang in the air in a bit of a miffed tone. “I told you, you can be way more casual with us! It’s ‘Nagisa’ and ‘Rei’!”

   Haruka doesn’t know how the boy does it, but he’s giving in either way with no resistance.

   “Alright, then Nagisa and Rei – welcome.”

   “That’s better!” The undefeated Nagisa strikes a contagious smile.  

   “I forgot to point it out earlier, but we’ve now found another one with a name like ours,” Rei says, smiling wryly.   

   “Oh you’re right Rei-chan! It’s like it’s meant to be!”

   Haruka gets a feeling they’re talking about how his name is girly and he suddenly feels like pouting.

   “So what do you want?” he says and already regrets his kind of cold tone.

   Rei instantly straightens his back and clears his throat.

   “Right, we’re sorry for the intrusion Haruka-senpai,” he quickly says. “Amakata-sensei sent us, she meant it was best for you to be accompanied by us today. After all, being alone on a stranger planet could be dangerous.”

   Haruka agrees with Amakata about Rei and Nagisa being the best option for him, as they are a pair of the few he has really talked to so far.

   “Mmmh, what’s that smell?” Nagisa asks out loud while taking off his geta and placing them carelessly upside-down in the genkan. Rei quietly takes off his footwear as well and places them neatly besides Nagisa’s.

   “I just had breakfast.” A bit unsure of what to say, Haruka points at the room not far away. “Let’s sit down in the kitchen.”

   “Alright!”

   Nagisa is already heading for the kitchen and is yet again complimenting the welcoming scent of food. While the two guests sits down at the dinner table, Haruka begins taking the cutlery and cleaning after his cooking. Nagisa doesn’t stop talking and for some reason, Haruka doesn’t mind it one bit.

   “Oh! I should tell you that we’re already well known in this house. Sou-chan is a good friend of ours you see, so we’ve visited this place many times before!”  

   Haruka nods at this information. He had already guessed they had some kind of friendship with that guy already.

   “…Though it’s new to have the nation’s guards watching over the resident,” Rei points out. As always, he has a rather mature way of speaking despite his young age.  

   “Really?” Haruka asks and turns to face him. “They weren’t around when Yamazaki lived here?”

   Nagisa and Rei looks at each other for a moment, as if they’re having a conversation between them using only their eyes. Then, simultaneously, they slowly look away, not meeting the human’s eye contact. 

   “Well,” Nagisa says with a surprisingly lowered voice. A sinister mood is whispering in the air, yet he is smiling almost apologetically as if he’s desperately trying to brush it away. “Sou-chan’s first year here was… complicated.”     

   _What do you mean?_ Is what Haruka wants to ask, but he feels like he is already pulling on dangerous strings that shouldn’t be messed with, so he instead shuts his mouth and turns around, back to cleaning the dish that is already as immaculate as it can get.

“Maybe they’ll only be here for as long as Haruka-senpai is incapable of protecting himself,” Rei says, being the first to take initiative after a few seconds of the unpleasant silence.   

   That puzzles Haruka even more. Protect himself from what? And he can protect himself already, can’t he? After all those years of training at the local dojo, he supposes he is skilled at defensive fighting, something that he has already told the elves. Maybe Rei is talking about something else. Still… Haruka is finally about to get suspicious.

   “By the way, when will you start your training here Haru-chan?” Nagisa asks. The whispering air is still there, but perhaps following Nagisa’s lead and ignoring it is the best thing to do for now.

   Haruka shrugs his shoulders before placing the food’s leftovers in a bowl, which he will then cover with plastic wrap and put in the fridge.

   “Don’t know. They haven’t given me any schedules. The only thing I know when and what to attend is the feast tonight.”   

   “Well, I suppose your training will be starting in a couple weeks or so,” Rei comments. “Or at least when you feel comfortable enough to begin.”

   “Me feeling ready or not shouldn’t be a problem,” Haruka says. “Wouldn’t it just be for the best if I were to start as soon as possible?”

   Rei huffs out a laughter.

   “Haruka-senpai, you’re as decisive and effective-thinking as when I first met you.”

   In all of a sudden, Nagisa jumps up from his seat, excitedly jumping back to their earlier topic.

   “I know, I know! Why don’t Haru-chan train with our group?” he suggests, seeming thrilled by the idea himself. “That would be a lot of fun! Sou-chan is there, so surely he will appreciate having another human by his side! He and Rin-chan would be good trainers! Also Mako-!“

   “Nagisa-kun,” Rei calmly interrupts. He begins talking about how it’s a good suggestion, but that it’s important to take Haruka’s wants in consideration, but all of Rei’s words goes in one ear and out the other, for instead of listening, Haruka thinks about the little blond elf’s idea.

   Like with Amakata, Haruka has a good first impression of his two visitors. Also, Yamazaki apparently trains with them, which could be of great help considering he won’t be the only human around. Nagisa had mentioned some other names, but thanks to Rei intervening, Haruka hadn’t paid much attention to them.  

   Finally, he has finished cleaning up. Before realizing it, he cuts in Rei’s monologue to answer Nagisa’s wish.  

   “Sure, I’ll join your practice.”

   “Yay! I knew you would!” Nagisa rejoices, waving his arms in the air. Rei looks in a way defeated, but smiles nonetheless.  

   “Then that’s how it shall be,” Rei says, pushing his spectacles further up his nose bridge.   

   Haruka is used to train alone, that’s how he always spent his days at the dojo ever since his parents passed away. Having tutors and other students by his side again will be weird, though again, there’s a lot of other things in this world he will have to get used to, as well as the people he will soon get to know.

   “Hey, Haru-chan…!”

   Nagisa gets up from his chair and scuttles towards Haruka. There is a dramatic pause for a brief moment, as if Nagisa is trying to build up tension that, unfortunately for him, Haruka doesn’t feel. He then utters the words that Haruka immediately finds himself taken aback with.

   “Have you met your soulmate yet?”   

   “…What?”

_‘Soulmate’?_

   “Nagisa-kun!” Rei protests, unsettled and rising up from his chair as well. “I don’t think we should–!“   

   “But you know, Rei-chan,” Nagisa intervenes, lifting his index finger up as he turns to face Rei. “I’ve been thinking about this for a while now, and we could save Haru-chan from a lot of trouble and future misunderstandings if we just tell him everything in the beginning.”

   _What are they talking about?_

   Rei is silent for a while. He is staring down at nothing, his left hand covering his chin as he begins to mumble.

   “We are one of the few who has followed him from the start, so others that haven’t may never want to tell him, leaving him in an unfair position…”

   “Tell me what exactly?” Haruka asks.

   They don’t answer him. Rei seems troubled, but he then sighs.

   “Alright… I suppose you’re right.”

   “Besides, we know he won’t hurt us or anything.”

   “ _Hurt you?_ ” 

   Haruka is getting slightly annoyed here. Completely ignoring him, the two are again looking deeply at each other, as if they’re about take on an frightening task, needing each other’s support.    

   Then, out of nowhere, Nagisa smiles a smile Haruka hasn’t witnessed before. This time, it is a smile that gives him the appearance of having found a new toy to play with.

   “Well then!” Nagisa suddenly blurts out, spreading his arms like a presenter introducing their newest idol. “Allow Rei-chan to explain the phenomenon of true love for you!”    

   He then lowers his voice, points with his index finger once again and blinks with one eye. “He’s good at that stuff!” 

   Haruka is simply confused and is unable to say anything.

   Rei clears his throat.

   “Let’s sit, shall we?”  

 

 

**_________________________________________________________ **

 

 

 

   True love.

   What a naïve thing to call it. 

   Is it real? Well, it certainly is for those with a magical soul, those able to cross the barrier between worlds. The bearers of these souls calls it ‘true love’ when two souls are bonded, but does that mean true love exists only by magic itself and can bear no other form? Either way, the narrator suppose we will never know for sure.    

   Anyway, it all comes down to each individual’s soul.

   No humans that are not the decentness of the ancient Gods have such a thing as a soul. However, this is just a myth, as nobody can prove it since, well, if those things existed, no one could be able to see them in the first place as no elf has ever bonded their souls with common humans.   

   A romanticized phenomenon. The tale of a strong, undying affection for your one and only destined love – your soulmate. Something that should give one happiness and peace, yet in the end, love appears to be far from that simple.

   Originally, the concept of bonded souls was a simple surviving mechanism. To look out for one another, to protect one another from their deepest nightmares and find bright life in the darkness has always been necessary for the elves. Which, clearly because of the _danger_ , these ‘magical beings’ needed. Something that they still need, yet, this surviving mechanism took an unpredictable turn, thanks to unpredictable emotions and needs from these beings that the universe simply doesn’t give a damn about.

   Oh yes, you can call this another one of the problematic universe’s mistakes, if you would.    

   Now how does this work? How do the beings know which soul they are bonded with? It is said it is thanks to the vision, that one can only see their own and their destined partner’s soul. Though mutual trust and other manifestations shows that this is not the only sign of being sure who one’s true love is.   

   It is so much more complicated than that however, as humans are born in a non-magical body and cannot see souls, while it is recorded that some elves have been able to see their souls, to then fall in an undying love for these humans.    

   This character tells our human all this, but he is not mentioning one bit regarding the truth. The _danger_ is threatening the two alliances’ trust towards each other by intervening between these types of bonded souls. Making such things as emotions and needs more difficult to deal with – and in the end making this ‘surviving mechanism’ more difficult to deal with as well.  

   Silly beings and their feelings. Silly universe and its mistakes. Oh, how problematic…

   At any rate, let us get to the point.  

   The longer it takes for our human to show his true loyalty to the elves, the more unreliable his soul becomes. Yet again, this is all thanks to these unnecessary emotions and needs. For even the tiniest skepticism or fearful thought can make these beings ignore their real _danger_.  

   True love.

   The universe’s _danger_ has honestly made the beings overthink this so beloved phenomenon.

 

 

**_________________________________________________________ **

 

 

   “Alright, I get it.”

   “Wait– really? You do?”

   “It’s a love-in-first-sight thing that you’re fond of, I’ve heard of it before.”

   “Aha! That makes everything easier then!”

   “W-wait!”

   The three are sitting at the dinner table. It still isn’t even in the middle of the day yet. Still, dark clouds has already begun roaming about in the sky during the short time of their talk.  

   Rei told Haruka about this true love thing. To be frank, Haruka doesn’t really get the deal about it. The two before him are taking it so seriously and he doesn’t understand why. Well, he guesses that everything he has learned about magic so far is interesting, but this just sounds like… love. Which he already knows about… to a certain extent.  

   Therefore, it is when Rei is continuing to be flustered regarding the topic that Haruka is even more unsure about this ‘destined love’ thing.  

   “There’s a reason why we chose to tell you already,” Rei continues. “We want to give you a warning about you not to acting too… suspicious.”

   “Suspicious? In what way?”

   “Just don’t flirt too much with people ok?!” Nagisa blurts out, looking intensely at Haruka – who now finds himself even more surprised at his words. “They’ll think you are a– that you’re on to something!”

   Sudden drops are hitting the window beside them with humble sounds.

   The sky is completely grey by now. The grass and the pink trees doesn’t seem as colorful anymore.  

   Haruka is silent for a while, unsure of what to say. This is silly, he thinks. He looks away, a bit annoyed by what it seems to be just them making unnecessary fuss.

   “You don’t have to worry about that,” he says. “I… am not really one to do those sorts of things just casually anyways.”   

   There is a silence for a while. Not really an unpleasing one like earlier, but more of an end of a discussion, fading away into the sounds of drops gently knocking on the window.

   It seems like by every hour Haruka is spending on this planet, there are even more questions bombarding his mind without permission. Maybe this is something he will have to get used to as well…

   Before Haruka can figure out what Nagisa meant by _‘they’ll think you’re on to something!’_ , Rei continues speaking.

   “We don’t mean to frighten you with this information,” Rei says. “Hell, this will probably not occur to you as a problem at all.”

   Haruka believes it won’t either.   

   “Yeah! And if you do have a soulmate then you just have to tell us, ok?”

   Back in the human world, Haruka had heard some stories about these bonded souls already. It sounds kind of ridiculous to be so worked up over. A part of him mentally complains about that this wasn’t what he’d signed up for when coming here. 

   “Nagisa-kun and I are bonded by our souls.”

   The declaration had been sudden. Slowly, Haruka and Nagisa looks up at Rei. It seems like Rei being so straightforward even shocks Nagisa, for the blond elf is suddenly quiet. 

   “Just… so you know, you know…” Rei adds in a hurry, suddenly staring down at the table in full interest.

   “…”

   These people are boys… yet they are being so honest, Haruka thinks for himself.

   _Lot’s of, lot’s of things he needs to get used to…_

   Haruka smiles an honest smile nonetheless.

   “Is that so,” he says.

   Nagisa has looked surprised at Rei for a while, his jaw hanging out of astonishment. Then his eyes lights up, not in a magical way or anything, just in a kind of happy way, the kind of light that even clouds and rain cannot darken.     

   “That is true,” he says, and smiles.  

   They decide to take it easy for the rest of the day before the feast.

   However, the sky refuses to stay calm, and soon the humble rain turns into downpour, building up to a long-awaited storm. 

 

 

**_________________________________________________________ **

 

 

   Makoto’s day has been terrible.

   Firstly, he’s not really a morning person either way, so waking up on normal days are difficult enough, but this morning had been no fun at all after only getting as much as a minute of sleep. Then, when morning came, he begun oversleeping without thinking, not waking up until the middle of the day by a irritated tutor’s slurs and heavy knocking on the door.  

   In the end, he did get some sleep, yet it had changed nothing as he felt just as exhausted as he had the night before.  

   If only the day before had been nothing but a dream. 

   No, thinking like that will lead him nowhere. He has to accept the truth and he has to deal with it. Running away is something a coward would do.

   The thing is though, Makoto has never thought of himself as brave or anything close to that.    

   It is eight thirty o’clock in the evening and he is at the local library, slowly walking past the endless row of bookshelves.   

   The building is tall, and is more like a tower. A lone circling stairway goes round and round and up, having a hole in the middle of the area leading down to the first floor where the reception finds place. 

   The library assistant, being an elderly man with huge pointy ears – huge even compared to the average elf – and wearing thick glasses, is quietly sitting behind the reception desk, clinging to the book he is curiously reading. Beside him is a flying golden fountain pen that writes on some sort of documents and easily does all of the hard work for the old man.    

   All around the library there are books flying about in the air. After someone has taken a book to check it out and then later placed it somewhere else, the book is silently and magically putting themselves back to its section where it’s supposed to be. Though it is no trouble for the library assistant and everyone are welcome to place the books wherever they want (as long as they treat the books with care that is), Makoto still feels like neatly putting the books to their sections, just because.

   The books’ convenient function is thanks to a magic spell the assistant has to break every time someone borrows one. One time, an earlier assistant had carelessly forgotten to break the spell of a book Makoto had borrowed. When he arrived at the barracks that day, the book had suddenly started flying in the air and headed straight for the door and back to the library in such hasty speed that no elf was able to follow. Makoto has been extra careful with borrowing books ever since.      

   This time he is not here to borrow books however. He is here for research.

   Makoto lives in this nation to train, to protect the people of this world. That is why instead of other subjects that one would likely find in schools, physical training and learning discipline are of priority here.  

   In the other nations, they give proper education regarding most subjects, such as writing, mathematics and getting real competence in the history of magic. Makoto finds missing out of school to be deplorable. The urge to learn and write is something that has always been in the back of his head.  Well, at least he is able to visit the library occasionally.  

   After the displeasing start of the day, Makoto decided to do something productive, to make research in something he has never done before.

   ‘Bonded souls’.     

   He is best friends with people that have all found their true, destined love. They have all taught him much of their knowledge already, but he still feels like he needs to properly educate himself. Besides, there are no one he feels like he can talk to about this yet, not even his closest friends.

   There are books about fairy tales concerning destined love. One what he automatically picks out from a high-up ledge is a new one that he has heard about before. This is not exactly a fairy tale, but an actual story about real people. It’s a tragic love story…

   “I didn’t know they’ve already printed this,” he mumbles to himself, looking at the foreign human-letters covering the title.  

   He places the book back to where it was, before continuing looking around the section. He finds other books being more factual of how bonded souls works, something he also looks into, but he already knows about the given information.   

   _Sharing dreams and nightmares, being able to communicate during those_ , those are some of the many features of having found one’s true love.   

   Memories of the boy from yesterday struck Makoto crashes with his train of thoughts. He had been so scared that morning. He doesn’t even remember the human’s voice.   

   Nagisa and Rei told him they are accompanying him today. Upon hearing that, a strange, unfamiliar feeling balled itself inside his stomach. They probably already know the human so well, while Makoto has no idea how to approach him. It’s weird, but still…

   Makoto has to talk to him eventually.

   Then he realizes… Is he perhaps looking at the wrong section?

   He walks down the stairway to the floor under.

   This world has always been strict, keeping restrictions for the elves to enter the human world and vice versa. Actually, Makoto and the students know very little about the human world, so getting to hear Nagisa and Rei’s story about their travel yesterday gave him a lot of information he never knew about. For instance, about the technology and the freedom they are capable of maintaining in the other world.   

   Makoto now finds himself in the section of human knowledge – which the library clearly doesn’t exactly have a vast deal of – and a veil of dust covers the shelves. That is when he spots the title he has been looking for.

   ‘HUMANS AND HUMAN SOULS’   

   He picks it up, flipping through the pages.

   Few people are present and Makoto barely knows any of them, which is convenient. He does not really want anyone to see him right now.

   As he is reading, he notices how the book describes humans in a peculiar way, as if these beings are uncontrollable and not of any emotional intelligence.

   Makoto gets a bad feeling in his stomach.

   ‘ _Humans are only here to help us, yet they tend to indulge in the elves private lives, such as making romantic connections. Such as us, they too are capable of having their souls bonded. Our greatest threat has repeatedly taken advantage of these souls, easily persuading the simple mind of the human to trick their so-called true love. When this happens, the human’s soul is no more than an illusion for its destined love. We call this a_ faker _. Statistics shows that_ fakers _during the last couple of decades has caused most fatalities of the royal family’s–‘_

   Makoto swiftly closes the book.

   He just wanted to learn about how their souls works, not to be reminded of the elves’ skepticism regarding the subject.    

   His plan was to prepare himself for what is lying upon him, but instead of figuring out what to do, he has just made himself even more unsure about everything.

   The wind outside is getting noisy. Is it raining? Closing hours are soon and he feels the fatigue creep up on him, so maybe he should go home.     

   He would usually wish the library assistant a good day when heading out, but the elderly man is looking too captivated by his book to even notice the boy’s presence. Makoto does not really feel like bothering to, so he leaves through the door without a word.     

   That is when the thousands of heavy raindrops cascades from the black sky only to hit him with all their might.

   “Agh!”    

   The sudden downpour fills the gutters and drains. The smell of wet gravel approaches him and most sounds are muted by the thundering rain. A couple of girls are hastily going back to their homes, protecting themselves under a shared umbrella.    

   Just when Makoto had thought this day couldn’t get any worse… 

   Usually Makoto would be nervous just by walking around in the evening. He’s never exactly been fond of the dark, but right now, there’s something else to worry about…

   He did not bring an umbrella. Dammit, the barracks are far away from here too. He’s going to get completely drenched.

   Should he make a run for it? Or maybe it’s for the best to go back in the library. No that will not do, the library is closing in just a few minutes…

   “Oh! I know!”

   He remembers the whereabouts of a good place to take shelter being nearby. It is just a couple of blocks away, before turning left, and there it is. It conveniently leads to the barracks as well. Surely, this weather will stop soon, right? He could just stay there until it calms down.  

   He begins running towards his destination, covering his head from the rain using his hands. It is nearly impossible not to stump in any of the many puddles covering the road. Fortunately, he made a smart chose wearing his black tabi-boots today. He worries his bottom lip and squints as the heavy wind throws itself over him.         

   A part of Makoto finds this all ironic. So ironic, he wants to laugh.

   Maybe all this bad luck is a sign from the heavens.  

   _Heh, maybe I am cursed._

   While thinking of this he is only looking down at the ground watching his steps. He does not pay attention to the boy running towards him and unfortunately, that boy does not notice Makoto either. They both run heads down in the dark and in all of a sudden–

   “ _Ufh––!_ ”

   –The two run into each other. 

   It takes a few seconds before he can comprehend what had just happened.

   “Ah! Sorry, I–“

   Without thinking, he instantly gasps.

   “Nn…”

   The boy in front of him has closed his eyes by the sudden collision.

   Then he opens them, eyeing up at the shocked boy staring bewildered at him.

   _Blue eyes and a blue soul._

   In the dark, he eyes upon the blue flame that has made him terrified, stunned and helpless.  

   Why… Why now. And why is he here? He should be at the banquet, or, maybe the feast is already over, but still... He should not be standing here, trembling by the cold in this weather.

   The splashing water breaks the silence circling between them. It looks like the boy is shivering. He’s not wearing proper footwear…

   It is as if the distinguishing flame that used to glare at him has finally calmed down – or maybe it is Makoto?  

   For suddenly, he realizes that what he is feeling is not fear, but something else…

   “What… are you doing here?” Makoto asks. He does not know how, but it is like the terror he just felt a second ago is being pushed down by an unexplainable force.

   The boy doesn’t answer.

   _Our greatest threat (known as the_ Shadows _) often takes advantage of these souls, easily persuading the simple mind of the human to trick their so-called true love._

   _Push the fear away._

   “You are Nanase Haruka, right?”

   It seems like Nanase is confused and is glancing at different directions, at the buildings around them, at the dark clouds in the sky, and then at Makoto again.

   “I’m lost.”  

   The simple and frightened words leaves the boy’s mouth and Makoto immediately takes note of the tune. Makoto wonders if it would make sense to describe a voice silent.  

   Just like Makoto, the water has drenched him as well. His fingers are fidgeting, desperately trying to keep his hands warm. 

   There is no use standing here, Makoto figures.

   “I know of a place to take shelter,” he says. “You can follow me, if you don’t know where to go.”

   Nanase hesitates for moment, before nodding.  

 

****

**_________________________________________________________ **

 

 

   Haruka follows the stranger and they run through the raging tempest. He has little to no idea of where he’s headed.

   This could be bad.

   This could be _really_ bad.

   Also, this is all Yamazaki’s fault.

   He shakes his head. Right now, he needs to focus on the current situation.

   The wind is howling in his ears. Luckily, the rain does not bother him that much anymore as the man before him covers him from most of it.

   Wait, should he be called a man or a boy? He does not really look much older than him, though his body is build way more different than Haruka’s. Though it’s dark and difficult to see, his face looks to be very young too.

   It was weird… that guy had seemed terrified just now, before suddenly suggesting taking him somewhere else.  

   Haruka had hesitated, but really, what else is he supposed to do? He does not know where in the world he is, a biting pain is crawling under his skin on his fingertips and all he wants is just to lay down in his cozy, big bed.  

   Since forever, Haruka has loved the rain. He loves hearing and feeling the smooth water as he walks outside and honestly, it is so much better than sunny weather. If only it was not freezing this bad then he wouldn’t really mind it. He is seriously worried about his sore feet, they are so cold it hurts.   

   Suddenly, the stranger before him stops. Haruka almost runs into his back before he steadies himself. He looks around, biting together his teeth.  

   They have reached something that looks like a rather big greenhouse. There are a couple of small houses nearby with light coming out from their windows, so the place does not look too abandoned or shady. Still, this situation is making him nervous.   

   The tall stranger has opened the door and is waiting. He looks a bit worried. Haruka pauses.

_Should I go inside?_

   No, he should not. This is a random stranger he just ran into, it would be foolhardy of him to _actually_ trust that guy and simply walk inside this greenhouse with him. 

   Suddenly, it is as if he is feeling the cold physically bite his fingers, the pain struck through his knuckles and up to his wrists.  

   Alright. Nope. He’s not going to endure this shit.

   _Fuck it._

   He quickly steps inside without thinking. The stranger follows him and closes the door after them with a rattle.  

   The air is humid and it’s cold in here as well. Large plants covers most of the space, filling the room with a strong scent. With the wind gone and the sound of rain muted to a faint, never-ending drum roll, Haruka’s teeth begin shaking. His eyelids feel heavy.    

   “Here…”

   Despite Haruka’s previous skepticism, the voice of the stranger is gentle along with his gestures. Haruka looks at him as he carefully places a hand against the transparent wall. His eyes are closed; it looks like he is concentrating on something. Curiously, Haruka watches as the part of the wall close to the boy’s big hand is gifted by a sudden orange glow. The dimmed light grows and Haruka feels drawn to something that reminds him of warmth.

   Magic. He is using magic!

   “This will only last for a few minutes,” the stranger offers. “I wish I could hold it for longer, but for now, you can stay here when it’s warm.”

   This time Haruka does not hesitate. He takes a step closer to the wall that is just continuing to glow more thanks to the magic created by the boy next to him.  

   Oh… amazing! Now it really is warm here. His whole body is shivering by the change of temperature as he leans against the hot wall. He doesn’t mean to, but he hums at the relief of not freezing to death anymore.

   The stranger removes his hand and settles next to Haruka. After that, they are both silent, neither of them seeming to move for a while. A sigh escapes them both. 

   What a blessing to find someone to help, Haruka thinks for himself.

   Looking from outside the box this situation is weird. Especially after being present in a formal banquet just about fifteen minutes ago, now he finds himself here: in a smelly greenhouse alone with an unknown man.  

   The violent wind rocking the weak walls is not calming down…

   Just for how long will they be staying here?  

   “Uhm… Really, what strange weather it is for this time of year,” says the stranger, breaking the silence with a nervous tone.   

   He is wearing a white yukata and Haruka envies his seemingly warm boots. By the way the boy is standing, with his broad shoulders tense in a bad posture and his head bent down, it is like he’s trying his best to make his big body as small as possible. Haruka doesn’t know why, but he only dares to glance at him once, before fixating his gaze at the tall plants reaching the roof.  

   “I like the rain,” he says.  

   “Ah! is that so…”  

   The sound of raindrops are dancing around the silence that doesn’t seem to be getting interrupted by Haruka’s rescuer a second time. Instead, he stays silent. It does not feel awkward, on the contrary, Haruka feels like this is a nice break from all the socializing and running from earlier.  

   Something that feels like a minute passes. His sore feet really need a break, but there are no stools nearby. Haruka worries his bottom lip.  

   If he’s not mistaken, it sounds like the wind outside has taken a break. He direct his gaze at the other boy, who is looking down with a concerned and fatigued expression.  

   “My name is Nanase Haruka,” he blurts out.

   It seems like he just interrupted the stranger while having deep thoughts, for he almost jumps at the sudden statement, before blinking and looking down at Haruka.

   Then their eyes truly meet for a second time.

   Green eyes. They soften as he smiles.

   “I know, I remember you from yesterday,” he says. “I’m Tachibana Makoto.”

   This is the first time Haruka has payed this much attention to an elf’s name. Tachibana Makoto… He will remember that.

   Their eyes have not broken contact yet.

   “I attended the banquet earlier…”

   For some reason, Haruka suddenly forgets his words. Why did he say that? It is not like him initiating conversations, maybe it’s his unconsciousness telling him to be friendlier with the one who just rescued him.

   Tachibana is not saying anything, just curiously waiting for the other to finish what he started.

   Haruka averts his eyes away as if he’s not allowed to be looking at that green color for too long and continues speaking.   

   “…I was supposed to be accompanied back home by someone, but somehow we got separated. I… think we both got lost…”

   Amakata had been the one to suggest whom should guide Haruka, she said it would be a good opportunity for them to get to know each other better, but that didn’t happen…

   “Your accompanier got lost?” Again, there is something about his tone that seems humble, tender, and Haruka can’t help but pay close attention to it. He nods.   

   “I guess it would have been better if I went home alone, otherwise I wouldn’t have been led the wrong way.”

   “Strange that they made you follow someone like that.”

   “Actually… When I think about it, the guy could have been pulling a prank on me.”

   Tachibana is left wide-eyed. “…What do you mean?”

   “Well, after he’s been living here for so long, no way he’d get lost on that short way. A prank makes more sense.” 

   No longer leaning his back on the wall, Tachibana gives Haruka a pondering look.

   “What’s their name?”

   “Yamazaki Sousuke.”  

   Tachibana just stands there, silent, with a curl of the lip. It looks like he is holding back a grin, before he suddenly blurts out of laughter. He is squinting his eyes as he laughs, before he opens them and clears his throat, looking a bit embarrassed by the sudden outburst.

   The greenhouse does not seem that dark anymore. Why does Haruka feel like laughing with him?

   “That is Sousuke for you, heh…”

   “You know Yamazaki?”

   “Yeah, I guess you could say we’re best friends.” Tachibana scratches his neck and smiles apologetically. “I don’t think he would’ve pulled a prank on you, rather, his… orientation skills aren’t exactly something to brag about. It’s a bit bad of me to laugh about it actually; maybe it was his weak eyesight that made him lost…”  

   Wow. Bad eyesight or not, it’s impressive that he too got lost. That’s weird though, Yamazaki didn’t wear any spectacles, so Haruka had assumed his sight worked just fine.  

   “I’m sorry for the trouble he caused you,” Makoto continues.

   “It’s fine, really.”

   Yes really, it _is_ fine. His toes and fingertips feels completely frozen, his throat is still dry yet… he feels fine staying here.

   Remembering whom he was talking with earlier today, Haruka wonders…

   “…Do you know Rei and Nagisa by any chance?”

   “Oh! Yes!” Tachibana lights up at the mention of the two boys. “Like Sousuke, I’ve known them since we were kids. I already know they’ve been with you, they’ve talked a lot about their travel…”

 

 

**_________________________________________________________ **

 

 

   They continue to talk like that and Makoto is honestly so relieved.  

   This whole day he has been utterly terrified, but terrified of what exactly?

   Nanase… He is so calm in the way he speaks, his soul is no longer looking threatening, but is instead giving off the same serene vibe along with Nanase’s presence. They talk about the holy ritual, his last days in the human world and his first days here. Makoto is really happy he’s already getting along with Nagisa and Rei.  

   That is when he notices Nanase’s soul’s behavior suddenly change out of nowhere. The soul is moving rapidly from side to side, as if it is moved by something.

   The soul is _dancing_.

   Quickly, Makoto glances at his reflection on the wall. His is doing the same thing. What is this? He has never heard of this happening before. Is this normal? It’s not a bad thing, is it?

   _Oops!_ He might look weird staring at the wall like this. Makoto looks away from the soul dancing in rhythm with the other and back at Nanase again.

   Nanase is looking at him, their eyes truly meeting for a third time. Is he expecting something? _Oh no…_

   What were they talking about again?

   “Do you hear that?” Nanase says.

   Makoto gulps. “What?”

   “It’s quiet.”

   He looks up at the roof. Makoto automatically mirrors the other. That’s right…

   _Nothing._

It’s not raining nor thundering anymore, the wind is not as dramatic either. It is still dark, however. Makoto realizes he has absolutely no idea of what time it is. 

   “Woah, you’re right! We can finally head back! Oh, I’ll follow you home. You don’t know the way from here, isn’t that so?”

   Haruka steals a glance at Makoto.

   “Thank you, Tachibana.”

   _He is so cordial._ Makoto chuckles.

   “You call Rei and Nagisa by their first name, right? Then you can call me Makoto.”

   “Ok then… Makoto.”

   “Then I will call you Haruka?”

   “…Please don’t.”

   “Hmm… then, Haru?”

   “…That works I guess.”

   “Alright! Haru!”

 

**_________________________________________________________ **

 

 

   They walk together away from the greenhouse. A breeze is still going about in the air and Haruka misses standing by the magically warm wall. Fortunately, he distracts himself from the cold by talking about the banquet with Makoto.

   There had been a lot of people there. Nagisa and Rei had been escorting him around and they met Amakata and started talking to her. Elderly men wanted to greet Haruka and talk about how they held high expectations for him and the women would giggle a lot alongside them. They were all wearing fancy kimono and at first Haruka felt bad for turning up with simply a human-modern shirt and black jeans. However, everyone would excitedly comment about how wonderful and ‘exotic’ he appeared to be.

   Yamazaki was there as well, but he was mostly hanging around away from attention with another guy who Haruka didn’t see much of.     

   Then, the king had arrived. Before he saw him, Haruka expected seeing this grown up man that you could just see held a powerful title without knowing about his royalty. But then, when he did show up – with the whole hall applauding at his appearance – only his spokesperson held a short speech about cooperating with the Holy Guardian before the king went out and exited the banquet in silence.

   He was young. Very young. Maybe around Haruka’s age. And he didn’t look much amused at all.        

   “King Mikoshiba Seijuro,” Makoto says. He has been listening the whole time. “Only a year older than us, he and his brother lost their father a few years ago...”

   Haruka looks down at the splashing puddles his walking around. The king is so young, yet he carries such an enormous responsibility. Though, Haruka supposes he’s in the same boat there.

   He remembers Amakata mentioning the former king in her speech yesterday. That is when Haruka realizes…

   “No one has told me what this danger is,” he says.

   Makoto looks at Haruka and says, “Sorry?”

   “No one has told me what we’re fighting against.”

   Makoto pauses. Then he stops walking completely. Haruka stays still and looks back at him.

   “…No one?” Makoto asks. “You’ve never known? Not even back on Earth?”

   “The human world doesn’t know anything…”

   At that, Makoto honestly looks surprised. He mumbles something along with ‘that’s weird’, but other than that, he seems to be at a loss of words. Haruka has always thought it’s weird how the humans knows so little information about this world, but what shocks him now is that Makoto wasn’t aware of that.

   Just how closed is the elves’ land really?   

   Immediately breaking their conversation, they are both distracted by someone’s shouting behind them.

   “H-Haruka-senpai?”

   “HARU-CHAN!”

   “Oh thank the heavens!”

   Haruka and Makoto turns around to see a running duo making their way through the slippery road towards the boys.

   “Nagisa? Rei?” Makoto muttered.  

   “There you are! We’ve been looking all over for you! Wait… Mako-chan?!”

   Panting, they both reach them. Nagisa leans over and rests his palms on his thighs and moans.

   “Honestly,” he exhales. “We were so worried about you! We thought something horrible could have happened, but here you are, safe with the knight in shining armor, Mako-chan.”   

   “Makoto-senpai, where did you find him?”

   Makoto hums a vocal, seeming reluctant to answer for some reason, before answering, “I just ran into him. But more importantly, Sousuke was supposed to follow him safely home, what happened to him?”

   “He returned immediately to the banquet, saying he’d lost sight of Haruka-senpai right away.”

   “What were you doing, Haru-chan?”

   It probably wasn’t meant to, but Nagisa’s question rings with skepticism. Then it’s silent, and for some reason does Makoto’s worried stare bother Haruka the most.  

   Yes, what was he doing?

   “I… might have taken a turn the wrong way when he wasn’t looking,” he says, and that is true. He was walking in front of Yamazaki until he realized he was no longer there behind him. Though before that, Haruka had noticed how Yamazaki was taking a different route than the one Haruka took when attending the banquet. That is why he felt like Yamazaki had led him the wrong way. Then it started raining and he began running, but at that point, he was already totally lost in the labyrinth that is the Northern nation.  

   He tells them this and Rei leans his chin on his fingers thoughtfully. He carries a concerned look. Haruka is getting a bad feeling. His fingers are numb.

   “Hey, Rei-chan, I’m sure he’s speaking the truth,” Nagisa says, yet that skepticism in his tone is still there.

   “It’s not that, I trust Haruka-senpai, besides, the part about Sousuke-senpai going the wrong way would fit in with Rin-senpai’s theory,” Rei says and Nagisa looks relieved. “…Or what do you think, Makoto-senpai?”

   “Huh? Me?”

   Haruka was about to face Makoto, but for some reason, he is scared of meeting his gaze.

   There is a bit of a silence before he hears that soft voice saying: “Of course I believe in Haru.”  

   Did Haruka’s heart just skip a beat? He peeks up at Makoto. He is smiling.

   Without Haruka noticing, Nagisa looks intensely at Makoto as well, seemingly in deep thoughts.

   “ _’Haru’_ , huh.”

   “Haruka-senpai,” Rei speaks over Nagisa and Haruka directs his gaze at him. “I’ll ask of you not to mention what happened after the banquet to anyone, not even Amakata-sensei. We don’t want anyone to suspect you of anything.”  

   _What the–?_ There it is again, the random talk about him acting suspicious!

   “You think they’d really start questioning Haru just by that?” Makoto asks, he sounds just as confused as Haruka feels. He feels even weirder hearing Makoto say his name. _Wait, what was I thinking about just now?_

   “I don’t know for sure, but it’s best to be on the safe side.”

   Why would people even be wary of him, Haruka wonders. Is there anything about humans that the elves fear or something? He wants to speak, but he cannot even move his mouth right away. His whole body feels completely frozen.

   “Ah! Enough of that! Haru’s freezing!”

   It is as if Makoto can see right through him, and he carefully moves closer to Haruka.

   “Do you think you’ll manage… walking back?”

   “I’m f-fine.” Even Haruka is surprised at how he stuttered just now. Ugh, just hearing the word ‘walking’ makes his eyelids heavier. Does he have a runny nose or did it start raining again? 

   “Oh no! Haru-chan! We have to take you back!”

   Fortunately, it doesn’t seem like the way to his house is very long. Makoto offered to let Haruka lean on him, but when hearing that he felt weird so he quickly refused.  

   By the time the house is in their sight, the wind had completely quieted down and Haruka is reconsidering Makoto’s offer for a bit before shaking his head. He does not give the guards by the entry gate a proper look, but he notices how they don’t seem to show much of a bother regarding his state.  

   “Do you need any more help, Haruka-senpai?” Rei asks. They are now standing at the entrance hall and all the boys’ eyes are on Haruka.

   “It’s fine, thank you,” Haruka says. His holy body begins shivering as the warmth embraces him.

   “We’ll come back tomorrow morning to check on you, if you don’t mind.”

   Haruka feels like that will be necessary.  

   The elves are about to leave through the door. Haruka dares to glance at Makoto. It looks like Makoto just thought of the same thing, for he looks right back at him, their eyes meeting for the umpteenth time.  

   Haruka looks away. “And… thank you.”

   A genuine smile tugs at Makoto's lips. “Have a good night, Haru.”

   And with that he slowly closes the door. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next: The problematic universe and its historical events.


	4. The problematic universe and its historical events.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has been beta'd by @CriizBastidas on twitter, thank you so much~
> 
> Hope you all enjoy!

 

_A dream._

_He can’t tell whether it’s cold or warm, merely that the thin air is encircling him._

_A silhouette of a boy is standing before him, but he can’t make out who it is._

_A hand reaches out to him._

_A name calls to him._

He wakes up with tears in his eyes and doesn’t remember a thing.

 

 

 

   Forty-eight years ago, another tragedy occurred.

   It was the beginning of a new era. A darker one. The time when the elves discovered another weakness in their guardian’s soul and body.

   Almost half a century ago, certain things began changing between the people living under the sunlight. A distrust was born.

   He knows that. Yet somehow, three days after the new Holy Guardian’s arrival, it feels like someone has lighten up his darker thoughts as if using a magic spell, making him forget his previous fears.

   Makoto looks forward to meet Haru again.  

   He could not stop thinking about him that whole night after what had happened by the library. By the time he had wished goodnight to his friends and arrived to his bedroom he felt like that meeting had simply been a remarkable dream. He had automatically repeated the whole thing in his head before realizing that he had just stood staring at the wall doing nothing for he-doesn’t-know-how-many-minutes. He went to sleep and this time nonetheless, he did get sleep. A nice and heavy sleep…

   Haru just felt so real. Makoto had been incredibly worried before, but he is sure of it now. Haru is human, with a personality of his own. Makoto does not want to doubt any of it.  

   He wakes up and it is as if his body has never been as light-weighted before in his entire life. It is warmer today and the air is easier to breathe in. The sun is shining brightly as if the weak storm from yesterday was nothing but a dream. Something is turning in his stomach but not in a nausea way – feels like butterflies!

   Makoto just cannot wait to see Haru again!  

 

 

   “Ehh? Haru-chan is sick?!”

   “Apparently they call it ‘the flu’.”

   Makoto sinks his shoulders upon hearing the news from Rei. Rei has just paid Haru a visit with Amakata whilst he and Nagisa were eating at the cafeteria hall. Like they usually do, they are sitting by a table near the corner of the great hall, where the sounds of students eating and bantering is more muted. Nagisa and Rei are sitting close to each other.   

   “The flu..? That sounds scary…”

   Elves rarely get sick. Makoto has only ever had a cold a couple of times and that’s it. He remembers having seen Sousuke being ill sometimes. The first time, he was startled by how he looked and became extremely worried. Sousuke’s cheeks had been filled with a shade of red and he just looked so tired. Makoto hopes it’s not as painful with Haru now as it was for Sousuke back then.  

   “Is there anything we can do to help?” he asks.

   “I’m afraid not,” Rei answers. He must have eaten already, as he doesn’t bother looking for a portion of today’s menu. “Sadly, human-healing is quite complicated. I presume we’ll just have to wait with the training until he feels better.”

   “Training?” Makoto asks. “You mean he’s starting so soon?”

   “Yes, by his own request.”

   Makoto looks down and lazily pokes his food with his spoon. Just now, he is realizing that Haru must be going through such a tremendous amount of feelings.

   Firstly, he abandoned his home and family and moved to another world without knowing much about that world. Secondly, he got lost in said world and is now probably stuck in bed feeling horribly ill. Then lastly, but not least: without knowing, he has met an elf that just so happens to be his one and only soulmate. With each second passing, this fact sinks down on Makoto and a sudden, overwhelming feeling rushes to his face.

   _He doesn’t know he’s Makoto’s soulmate yet._

Losing control of his hand, he swings the spoon like a mini-catapult, making the piece of porridge he was just playing with fly across the table and – _SPLASH_ – hit the wall behind a startled Rei.    

   “Ah-whah! I’m s-sorry!” Makoto raises his hands and apologizes many times to no one, as he obviously hasn’t bothered anyone. Nagisa and Rei shares a few glances while Makoto gets up with his napkin to clean his mess up. He goes up to the wall flustered, but is relieved that no one’s able to see his face right now.

   The butterflies from earlier this morning has changed into the feeling of fear and regret. There are evil butterflies. Flying about in the turbulent air in his stomach. Destroying all things coming their way.

  Just how have he suddenly become so stupid and careless? After meeting Haru, Makoto hasn’t even thought about how to deal with him being an human and all that! Haru can’t see anyone’s soul, how is he supposed to know about bonded souls? If Makoto told him, would he believe him? No, he would just freak him out, wouldn’t he? And then there’s all that concern about other elves. They’d be frightened and possibly doubt Haru if they heard about what Makoto can see. It could get dangerous. Really dangerous. They’d might even think that Haru’s a… that he’s a part of the… _danger_ –  

   “Uhm, hey, Mako-chan. What’cha doing?”

   Makoto yelps and jumps in surprise at Nagisa standing beside him. He hadn’t heard he was coming.

   “Are you worshipping the wall? If so, then I’ll join you!” Nagisa almost sings in excitement and places his hands on the wall, curving his neck so his head leans against the dull wallpaper. He then closes his eyes and continues to hum, “O, God in the food wall, I wish for Rei to let me share his bed sheets with me!”

   “H-hey, Nagisa!” Makoto nearly yells, but immediately lower his voice when he notices that many people are staring at them. “Stop teasing me!”

   Nagisa laughs and is clearly enjoying this. He insists that’s what Makoto looked like just now, but Makoto refuses to listen and goes back to the table to grab his plate of unfinished food. He catches Rei’s little grin and sighs.

   “I really looked like that, didn’t I?” he asks. Rei copy Makoto and gets up from his seat.

   “Would you prefer if I lied to you?”

   “You don’t have to answer then.”

   They walk out of the cafeteria, some eyes are still on them and Nagisa continues to make fun of Makoto while Rei mentions how Nagisa’s wish to the wall God was silly – _“You already have your own blanket so why would I let you steal mine?”_  

   Later, the three meet Rin and Sousuke inside their group’s dojo. Today is Saturday so they don’t have early practice, and during the weekend Rin and Sousuke prefers eating breakfast at their residence. Apparently, they have settled into their new house quite fast.   

   Rei has told them that Haru will join their group and soon be a part of their training sessions. The students of the Northern nation are divided into two regimes, one of them being the guard regime that Kisumi is a part of, taking place on the other side of the nation. Makoto and the others are housed in the first regime, where the students gain more general competence. Within each regime, there are multiple classes with multiple groups, Makoto and his friends being in class B group 4. Only their group have requited a new member ever since it was formed, which was after Sousuke’s arrival. To have a new member will be strange and Makoto can’t help but feel thrilled and a bit nervous. He looks forward to introduce Haru to his group.     

   During their training, they talk about how Haru is sick, but other than that, Haru’s name isn’t mentioned between them for the rest of the day. Still, even during practice, Makoto is just thinking of him. If he’s in a bad state, then Amakata and possibly a doctor will take care of him, so everything will be fine, right?

   Makoto hopes he will get better as soon as possible. 

   He hasn’t told anyone about Haru’s soul yet. It’s not that he doesn’t think his friends will believe him, because he knows they will, but… It’s more like he’s not sure of what to do after that. If, let’s say, Rei, Nagisa, Rin and Sousuke knew, wouldn’t it be weird for them all to know about it except from Haru? Or what if they were to accidentally reveal the secret to him? The least thing Makoto wants is to put even more pressure onto Haru than he already must be going through.  

   For now, Makoto thinks it’s for the best to wait. He wants to get to truly know Haru before taking any significant choices.

   There is something else on his mind, something he hasn’t forgotten since he met Haru. He remembers seeing both of their souls moving rapidly from one side to the other, as if they were dancing. It had been an unusual, yet admittedly pretty sight. Those weird movements had been out of nowhere, he and Haru were just staying inside the greenhouse, waiting for the rain to stop while talking about whatever was on their minds and suddenly Makoto saw their souls’ movements in the reflection of the wall. Why did they do that? It was like the souls had lives of their own. Makoto wants to know what that means.   

   The problem is however, he doesn’t know how to look for information regarding the matter. He had previously tried out the library, but now he knows there isn’t much helpful material from there. It might be risky, but it seems like the only option he has is… to ask a friend.   

   Today it’s Rin and Makoto who’s responsible for tidying the dojo after practice. Rin starts to talk about Sousuke and Makoto realizes this is a perfect chance for him to bring up his clinging thoughts.  

   After Sousuke returned from the latest holy ritual, he and Rin has pretty much spent all of their time alone together, so this is the first time in a while that Rin and Makoto are completely by themselves. It’s when Rin low-key complains about Sousuke who didn’t express anything about missing Rin after their separation that Makoto decides to shoot in.    

   _I have to be discreet._

   “I remember how you’d talk about Sousuke’s soul when we were younger,” he says as they’re almost finished cleaning the room. “You used such romantic words, I wonder if you would say the same things to him himself–“

   “Shut up,” Rin says a bit flustered, before he continues muttering. “You’ll understand when it happens to you.”

   Rin is right, because Makoto truly understands now. It was only for a short while that Makoto saw Haru’s soul, but he would never forget it. It is quite weird to think about how something that looks like a glowing ball can be so… pleasing to watch. Apparently, Sousuke’s soul is of a teal color – like his eyes, had Rin once included – with a black stripe swimming about in the flame. Haru’s soul is blue, and the color goes gradually colder and darker at the midpoint. Oh, and Haru’s eyes are blue too, aren’t they?

   At that thought, Makoto feels weird, so he attempts to distract himself by turning his attention to Rin again. He remembers what he wanted to know from Rin in the first place.

   “So, you’ve talked about the color of his soul, oh, but didn’t you mention once that it’d move sometimes too?”  

   _Nice one, me!_

   “What?” Rin says and frowns. “Have I ever mentioned that?”

   _Or not?!_

   They’re walking out the entrance by now and Makoto sheepishly rubs his neck.

   “Ehm… maybe I’m confusing you with something Nagisa said once, ha-ha…”

   Rin is quiet for a few seconds, staring at the air without really focusing on anything, presumably thinking of what Makoto asked him about. His lips are pressed together in a thin line.

   “Hmm, you’re not wrong though... I’ve seen it.”

   “Oh? So souls do move?”

   “Yeah, I’ve… seen his soul move weirdly… sometimes. And… I know mine has too…” 

   He is looking down for some reason, so Makoto can’t make out his facial expression.      

   “They did?” he asks. “Why did they do that?”

   Suddenly, Rin looks up again and frowns, a shade of red covering his face.

   “Why are you so nosy all of a sudden?! You stay outta that!”

   “Eh?”  

   In the end, Rin wasn’t very helpful, but now Makoto knows one thing; he isn’t the only one who has seen souls doing this ‘dance’.  

 

 

   There are still no news of Haru recovering the next day, and for some reason, it feels like Makoto’s body is just becoming heavier and heavier.

   During lunch, he notices how he has suddenly become more sensitive to all kinds of sounds. The noises of cutlery and the banter from other students hurts his ears, even Nagisa’s cheerful mood doesn’t seem to help him and he wants to get out of the hall as soon as possible. He decides to go from the table first and stays in queue to deliver his dirty plate, but didn’t notice that Rei was following him and they stand now together, looking at the cutlery being washed by themselves in a row behind one of the cafeteria’s desks.  

   It’s important to remember to not put any other belongings on the desk, for all immovable objects that touches the desk will be swept away and land in a soapy sink. The cutlery flies in the air and there’s only one tutor standing behind the process, presumably the one keeping the formula that makes the objects perform their jobs without disturbance intact.     

   “I have no more meetings in my schedule today,” Rei says, fortunately distracting Makoto from his thoughts. He places his plate on the desk for it to be magically swept away in the air to get clean. He sighs. “Since I have the rest of the day free, I immediately thought I’d finally get time to train more archery, but I forgot our class is no longer reserved for those...”   

   “That’s too bad,” Makoto replies, giving a reassuring smile. “Though I’m sure you’ll soon get the chance to take up your bow again.”

   “Yes, let’s hope so.”

   Looking around, Makoto notices that Nagisa is standing behind them a few meters back, talking to some other students from another class. Makoto has never really talked to those people before himself, but he thinks he recognizes them from being from class G. Makoto turns back and wonders...

   Now that he is alone with Rei…

   _Maybe this is my chance._

   “By the way, Rei,” Makoto says. “Nagisa has told me a lot about your soul, but I haven’t heard you talking about it that much.”

   “Well that’s certainly jumping from one subject to another,” Rei says. They are both done delivering their plates and cutlery and will wait for Nagisa at the entrance. “Why do you ask?”  

   “Ah, well,” Makoto says and almost cringes as his voice just cracked. “Maybe I’m being too nosy, but I was wondering how bonded souls act, I mean, if their flame move or anything like that…”

   Unlike Rin, Rei – thankfully – doesn’t look too puzzled at Makoto when receiving the question.

   “Whenever I look in the mirror, I see my soul’s flame move constantly, doesn’t yours?”

   “Of course it does! I was talking about more like, _dancing_. I think I’ve heard someone mention it before.”

   Makoto feels a bit guilty for lying to his friends about this, but he does it nonetheless.

   “Oh, I get it now, what you’re referring to is, I believe it to be called, ‘souls in motion’.”

   “’Souls in motion’?” _That certainly isn’t a complicated name._

   “Yes, it is a magnificent, _beautiful_ sight, if not _the_ most beautiful,” Rei says. He holds a proud smile. “It’s an infrequent happening, but when it occurs, the souls moves in the rhythm of their heartbeats. Nagisa-kun and I saw it happening for the first time the day we met, it is said that when it happens it’s a sign of the souls truly connecting.”

   “Oh, I see!” That makes sense, Makoto thinks. ‘Souls in motion’, ‘souls truly connecting’, deep down, it feels weird to know Makoto has experienced that for real.   

   Then, Rei adjusts his glasses a bit and clears his throat.

   “It’s rarely talked about as it is seen as a very intimate phenomenon, but I’ll make an excuse for now when explaining it to you.”  

    _Wait, I-intimate?!_ Was that why Rin reacted the way he did?

   Just as he’s about to think further regarding these things, Nagisa shows up and clings to Rei, before they head out.

   Come to think of it, Rin probably never saw Sousuke’s soul in motion when they first met. After all, their first meeting had been very brief…  

   Makoto is thankful for Rei explaining this to him, but now, he wants to see Haru more than ever.

 

 

   Days passes, and there are no news of Haru recovering.

   It’s like Makoto forgot how to stand up from his futon. His body feels extremely heavy, as soon as he gets up he just wants to drop himself down again. It seems like he must have been dreaming a lot of strange dreams recently, but those are only foggy pictures in his mind that he can’t remember clearly. What he remembers from his sleep from the past nights however, is that he has turned around a lot more than usual and it has taken forever to doze off. No wonder he is so fatigued.   

   He doesn’t feel like showering, but he has to, so he walks with heavy, lazy steps to the public shower. The air is humid and it hurts to breathe, all the showers are taken as the place is crowded with chatty boys whom are obviously in a much better mood than Makoto. After waiting for his turn, he actually feels a sense of relief just because he can finally get it over with.   

   It takes a while for his hair to completely dry. Maybe he should trim it soon. Besides, the warmer season is coming. He tries to focus on that thought. Yes, that is a positive and casual thought. _Need to cut hair._  He tries to think about only that, but the boy’s face just keeps popping up in his mind... again…

   Makoto can’t help it. He needs to see Haru.    

   This yearning is creeping on him all the time, and it’s just so _tiring_.

   Makoto is heading out from the barracks and walks down the slope, not really in the mood for eating. It is a new, yet predictable day. Time for breakfast at the cafeteria as usual. Before going practicing formulas alone as usual. Before doing the entire cycle again. As usual.   

   “Wait..! MAKOTO-SENPAI!”

   Makoto quickly turns around to see Rei running towards him. He carries a concerned look.

   “Rei? What happened?”

   Rei closes in on Makoto and steadies himself. He is panting and needs to catch his breath before he begins speaking. “N-Nagisa is… not with you?”

   “Ah, no, it took a while for me to wake up,” Makoto glances away as he says this. “I’m sure he’s eating already, why?”

   Rei adjusts his spectacles as he says: “It’s Amakata-sensei, she caught a cold.”

   “What?”

   Makoto wishes he could be able to understand every word Rei is about to say next, but his one year junior mumbles in such a hurry that Makoto can barely catch up with him.      

   “Well, I was supposed to meet her at Haruka-senpai’s residence, but a guard handed me a parchment sent from her, and it seems like she’s now ill as well and wants to have me check on him, but I already have scheduled a meeting with K-7 in an hour, which makes me realize that when applying for the title as the leader of the student council, I didn’t think my job would be to run around like a wild zinnia-otter–“  

   “Rei, please calm down,” Makoto says while gently laying a hand on Rei’s shoulder and he instantly stops speaking. “What can I do for you?”  

   Rei exhales deeply.

   “Could you please check in on Haruka-senpai for me?”

   Makoto’s mouth twitches.  

   “Of course! Don’t… Don’t worry about it.”

   “And bring Nagisa-kun, would you? I’m sure he’d be thrilled to join.”

   “Yeah… Of course.”

   Rei swiftly bows and excuses himself. Then he walks away saying something like, “And please make sure not to catch a cold as well!” but Makoto doesn’t really pay attention to any other sound than the beating of his own, pumping heart.  

_A-Alright. So this day won’t be as normal after all._

   Indeed, Nagisa seems super-thrilled upon receiving this new quest, yet he’s also sad regarding Amakata. After eating, the two walk towards their destination that is Haru’s house.  

   Nagisa complains about Rei being busy all the time as well. Makoto has noticed how everyone close with him whom have found their soulmate truly struggles by staying apart from them. Even though Nagisa and Rei are together every day most of the day, they still seem to feel down from just spending a few hours away from each other.

   It has been quite fun to see their relationship develop since day one. It was almost eight years ago since they met, the year they all were requited to live in the Northern nation. Makoto had been terrified and miserable after leaving his parents, but he did have Rin and Kisumi with him. On their first day living so far away from home, they were standing in line, ready to be put in their classes and groups. He can still remember how much his heart sank when hearing Kisumi was going to a different class, but he and Rin continued to be together.

   Not long after, they were put into training groups, and even then, Rin and Makoto ended up in the same group as well. That was when two boys being one year younger than them had stared at each other, both with their jaws hanging, and for the first time seen their soulmate and their soul. Those boys just happened to be Rei and Nagisa, the two recruits that would be a part of Rin and Makoto’s group.     

   At that time, Makoto had never witnessed anyone meeting their soulmate for the first time. It had been a bright, happy sight and everyone were celebrating and congratulating them. It’s not usual to meet your soulmate at such a young age, but they did and have always stuck together since. Makoto can’t help but admire their relationship. Despite them being completely opposites of each other, Nagisa and Rei fit so well together. Makoto guesses that their differences complement each other. Rather, they are _destined_ to be together.   

   He wonders if he and Haru will ever give off that appearance–

   Makoto interrupts that thought straight away by shaking his head. It feels wrong to start having thoughts like that. For heaven’s sake, he has only met Haru once!  

   Besides, if Makoto were to openly embrace those thoughts and exclaim that he can see Haru’s soul like Nagisa and Rei did, the universe would give off a completely different reaction…

   Soon they arrive at the graceful building that is the new Holy Guardian’s house. The guards gives them a look over, but lets them in without a word nonetheless. Makoto has a bad feeling about them. He gets it that they might be protecting Haru from the danger, but Sousuke never had guards standing by his house when he moved in. Though somehow, Makoto has a faint idea of why it’s like this...

   Nagisa cheerfully knocks on the door, but if he hadn’t that wouldn’t make much of a difference, as he strolls in right away anyway.   

   “Haru-chan! We’ve come to save you from your misery!”

   Makoto looks around. The entry hall almost looks untouched.

   “Are you sure we can just walk in on him?” Makoto asks.

   “What do you mean? Wasn’t that what we were supposed to do?”

   Nagisa happily continues up the elegant wooden stairway and Makoto follows. Soon, he will be able to see with his own eyes if Haru really is okay or not. He will finally see him and his soul again. For some reason, Nagisa inquires Makoto to knock on Haru’s bedroom door. He hesitates for a second, before knocking.       

    

 

   **_________________________________________________________**

 

 

   Three knocks, he had heard Nagisa shout something from downstairs earlier, but now he hears a familiar voice that he had not expected to hear.  

   “Uhm, Haru? Are you there? It’s Makoto… I’m with Nagisa. Can we come in?”

   _Makoto?_

   “Come in,” he says and for some reason his voice is a bit louder than what it was meant to. He doesn’t know why he is so surprised, and when the door opens and the boys walk in he feels even weirder.   

   It’s weird to see Makoto in a more illuminated setting, as it was dark the last time Haruka saw him. They met each other four days ago, when they ran into one another after the banquet. Haruka had been lost, so who knows what would have happened if Makoto hadn’t found him. Maybe Haruka would have found his house without him eventually, but then he’d be in a much worse state than he is now.   

   He’s tucked into his bed with three heavy blankets covering his body from his toes to near his chin. Even though he loves the bed, it hasn’t been feeling as comfortable as it did the first night he stayed here. He had a fever last night. He’s got a stiff noise and his body is all sweaty, which doesn’t exactly make it any better when he’s already feeling pathetic to have his visitors staring at him with concerned looks.   

   “…You look awful,” Nagisa says bluntly.

   “Thanks. I’m really feeling it today.” Oh, and he’s just noticing how his voice has evolved into a disgusting husky mess.

   Makoto had just stood by the door and looked awkward for a few seconds, before getting a worried look all over his face.

   “Are you okay?” he asks as he slowly walks past Nagisa and crouches down beside Haruka. “Is there anything we can do?”

   “It’s fine. Don’t worry.”

   “Mako-chan, perhaps you should step away… so you don’t get infected like Ama-chan-sensei, I mean.”

   “You don’t have to say it like that! He’s not a plague, you know?”

   Makoto looks almost offended, though there’s something about his shaky scolding that make it seem like he’s shy about getting even a little bit annoyed at his younger friend.

   Haruka blinks. He gets up in a sitting position without too much trouble.

   “What did you say? Something happened to Amakata?”

   They tell him she’s ill, and now it makes sense why anyone would call him a plague.  

   “It’s supposed to only be a cold though, but still! Being sick is the worst! I don’t understand how humans can stand living without a stable magic body.”

   Those words almost annoys Haruka a bit. Of course it sucks. Of course humans would do anything to possess a perfectly healthy body like those of the elves, but of course, they can also live without that.   

   He sneezes. Makoto is quick at handing him a tissue from the nightstand and he offers him his thanks. 

   “You’re going through a war, aren’t you?” Haruka asks after snuffling into the tissue. _Yuck, disgusting._

   Nagisa clearly doesn’t understand where he’s going with that, as he just eyes confused at Haruka while nodding.

   “The humans probably wouldn’t understand your troubles either,” _– Even though the humans literally doesn’t know anything about your war. –_ “but you just have to deal with it, right?”   

   “Well, yeah.”

   Haruka has been in a grumpy mood these past days. That he’s sick in a foreign world would explain it, but it’s not like him becoming irritated at insignificant and innocent comments like that just now. He decides to not say anything further in that matter. His mouth is completely dry.    

   “One will always simply have to find out a solution for their problems, or in this case – have to wait,” Makoto says. He says it like it’s nothing, but seeing how he finished talking for Haruka makes him randomly feel a warm knot in his gut.

   Makoto points at the empty glass standing at the edge of Haruka’s nightstand.  

   “Should I get you new water?”

   “Please.”   

   Makoto smiles while looking at Haruka, before he grabs the glass and heads out through the door.

   It might sound corny, but that calming presence of Makoto has truly shown a good first impression to Haruka. He’s actually glad to see him again.

   “Nagisa.”

   “Hmmh?” Nagisa has begun scanning through the books on the bookshelf guarding the wall. Haruka’s mouth is still annoyingly dry, but he would feel weird mentioning what he is about to say in front of Makoto, so he continues his sentence.  

   “In the past days, I’ve been thinking about what you and Rei tried to tell me... about bonded souls and such,” as he says this, the bookshelf suddenly turns uninteresting and Nagisa meets Haruka’s gaze.  

   “I thought I understood back then, but I didn’t really think it all through,” Haruka continues. “Rei said something about your enemy having intervened with the previously Holy Guardians’ souls. So if anyone actually were to see my soul, or if anyone were to see me – ugh – _flirting_ , then does that mean they would think your enemy had done something to my soul or something?”

   For a split second, Haruka is afraid he’s said something rude, for the earlier childish smile on Nagisa’s face is completely gone, as if he never had such a smile.

   Then Nagisa looks up at Haruka and says, “Yes… That was what we were trying to tell you.”

   Finally. They’ve been talking about preventing Haruka to act suspicious and he get’s it now… kind of. He wonders what this _danger_ has done to the previous Holy Guardians.

   The stairway from the hallway makes creaky noises, as Makoto must be returning.  

   Suddenly Nagisa draws a wide smile again.

   “But! Haru-chan! I don’t want to scare you by this! Because if you actually were to have a soulmate here, then that would be amazing! Sou-chan has one and it makes him super happy! Actually, most of the Holy Guardians has had one!”

   Makoto arrives and Haruka immediately meets his glance. He receives the glass of new, clean water and chunks it in right away. It tastes horrible.

   Oh no… His illness does even make drinking water revolting. _What monstrosity._

   He places the glass at the edge of the nightstand and notices how Makoto impulsively moves it further away from the edge.

   Nobody has said anything after Makoto entered the room, before Nagisa turns to his taller friend.

   “Mako-chan, do you have a soulmate?”

   Makoto suddenly looks at Nagisa in surprise. He almost seems startled as he weirdly creases his eyebrows.

   “What do you mean?” Makoto nervously asks. “You know that, Nagisa… No.”

   Nagisa raises his arms and leans the back of his head on his tiny palms. 

   “Well Haru-chan didn’t know! And who knows, you could have been holding something secret for me,” he says with a drawn out sing-song, before leaning towards Haruka and whispering as if he’s only talking to him. “Though Mako-chan is not really the lying-type.”   

   So Makoto doesn’t have a soulmate. Haruka glances up at him. He doesn’t like how he suddenly looks so uncomfortable.  

   “If anyone were to see your soul, they’d probably have taken you away by now,” Nagisa resumes.   

   _They’d what?_

   “Ah! But that won’t happen, don’t worry!” Nagisa outbursts. Haruka must have had an obviously shocked expression to give him that reaction. “Haru-chan, believe me when I say that I know you’re human. You can always rely on Rei-chan and Mako-chan as well, right, Mako-chan?”

   Haruka was a bit worried about Makoto acting so startled earlier, but then Makoto gives a reassuring smile at Haruka.

   “Of course,” he says, and then, out of nowhere, he starts to giggle. “Of course you’re human. I mean, just look at you!”

   With that Nagisa laughs. Haruka slowly realizes that he probably doesn’t give off an intimidating appearance by him being rolled up sick in the bed like this. His cheeks feel warm. He hopes with all his might that his face doesn’t show any sign of that.  

   “…Is that a joke?”

   “Yes, ha-ha!”

   He notices how Makoto shyly covers his mouth while laughing. Haruka shows a genuine smile for the first time after four days.   

 

 

   The next day Haruka is so much better. As if somebody has pulled a magic spell on him, his body feels light again and he’s able to take more care of himself. Downside is, he’s sniffing his nose wearingly a lot. He also has a sore throat, but that’s it. Still, Rei, Nagisa and Makoto visits him, and they insist that he should stay inside until he has fully recovered.   

   It’s Wednesday. Amakata has already recovered from her cold, grey skies cast light rain over the Northern nation and she has informed Rei to use this opportunity for studying about the elves’ history. They are at one of the living rooms inside Haruka’s residence and Rei points out how he’s surprised that Nagisa is not complaining about studying this time.    

   “Well, this is so much more than studying, Rei-chan! This is _studying with Haru-chan!_ ”

   “So it’s boring when it’s only including me?”

   “I… No! No, no, you know that’s not what I meant!”  

   Haruka finds out that all the bookshelves in his house mainly contains of history books, as Makoto picks them out and decides to use them for the lesson. Amakata isn’t here, but instead, she wanted the students to teach Haruka, and Makoto is the one who seems to be the most delighted when receiving this job.   

   Makoto is very eager to teach Haruka about these things. Seeing him so happy, Haruka can’t help but feel intrigued and pay close attention. He tells Haruka everything from the beginning and always gives him full, satisfying answers.  

   There’s little to no artifacts from the ancient times before the elves’ world collided with the humanity’s. All they know is that a light-shunning species that the elves refer to as _Shadows_ has roamed this world since the beginning of time along with the elves. No one knows for sure how these Shadows are created, but they are born in the dirt that lays hidden from sunlight.  

   A long, long time ago, the darker species destroyed almost all life in the world by attempting to cast eternal darkness over every light they could see. The Shadows were powerful – and the elves at loss. During this extremely terrifying period, the last remaining elves desperately prayed to their Gods for help. It could be anything, _anyone_ , they simply wished for liberation from their doom.           

   Thus, the collision happened and a human discovered the portal. This human had been walking for a long, long time, strangely feeling the urge to reach to the other end of the portal. She eventually made it, only to watch the true terror that was conquering this world. Unlike the elves, this human didn’t have magic, but it is said that when the Shadows saw her for the first time, they saw something else inside of her. Until this day, no one knows what they saw, but it was something that made them so frightened that they withdrew right away, leaving the elves alone for the time being. This human gave the elves hope. This was the first Holy Guardian.   

   As this world had been almost completely drained of life, the Holy Guardian continued to fight the Shadows. After great success from the battles, the human decided to import animals and vegetation from the other world. Unfortunately, many of the huge, elegant creatures used for flying transportation – an example being the Ryū – had been eliminated by the Shadows before they were able to prevent it. At this day, all of the new creatures and plants has mutated and suited themselves into the elves’ land. The elves will forever be grateful for the nature they have maintained.    

   The first Holy Guardian’s soul was bonded with an elves’ and they lived happily together until their very last days. Before the Holy Guardian died, she passed on a secret message to her lover, telling how to find the next Holy Guardians.

   She also gave away a prophecy, that eventually, there will be one final Holy Guardian: the light bearer. The light bearer will finally put an end to the war and defeat the Shadows as soon as they have arrived to the elves’ kingdom. If the light bearer never appears, then both the elves’ and humans’ worlds shall be doomed. Until – or if – the light bearer comes, they must keep fighting.

   From that day on, the human’s lover and their future generation would become the royal family of the elves’ kingdom – the ones whom every sixth spring receives the secret message carrying the next Holy Guardian’s identity.  

   Makoto then tells more about the nature and the four different nations. Nagisa has gone bored after all as this is nothing but repetition for him and he is walking around the great living room, sometimes trying to catch Rei’s attention.     

   Haruka silently listens as Makoto points at beautiful drawings in the history books. He talks about how the elves vanquished the Eastern and Northern nations after centuries of the Shadows’ control. Luckily, the Shadows never found the portal that is hidden close to the Eastern nation. Now, the Shadows’ kingdom is circulating around the four nations, but they are still roaming around the woods in the Northern nation. Only the Southern nation is completely clear of the dark species.

   “What are the Shadows like?” Haruka asks.

   Makoto looks at Haruka. Seems like he hasn’t noticed how they’re the only ones sitting by the kotatsu now as he pauses before realizing that Rei has joined Nagisa to another room.   

   “They call themselves a name that is forbidden to utter. It is a name meant to represent their great, threatening power. We simply call them Shadows. That’s what they are, insignificant beings that only wants to cast eternal darkness upon both our worlds.”

   Haruka dares to pull another question.

   “Have you ever seen one?”

   Makoto draws a smile, but he looks pained in some way.

   “Yes, a long time ago.”

   There’s a silence for a bit. Haruka honestly feels bad for Makoto and the others. In fact, these creatures sounds terrifying. Instead of reading off from the books, Makoto looks at Haruka as he speaks.

   “They never appear where there is sunlight, so it’s important to remember not to walk alone during night time or when it’s cloudy.”

   That is probably something important to remember, but what catches Haruka’s attention the most, is what Makoto says next. 

   “To kill, the Shadows never uses weapons or anything like that,” Makoto says emphatically. “Instead, they kind of… absorb their victims… I hope you will never ever have to see that happen.”

   _Absorb their victims…_ What does that mean? Has Makoto seen that happen?

   Makoto looks down again and turns back to teacher mode.

   “Almost half a century ago however, the Shadows found a new weapon,” he continues, his voice is quieter. “They discovered they can use humans.”

   Haruka isn’t aware of it, but he has unconsciously put all of his attention towards Makoto and can’t even hear Nagisa and Rei’s bantering from the other room.  

   “It’s said that Shadows can see everyone’s souls, and that they have finally found a way to use that ability for their own good. They would capture Holy Guardians and take over their soul, making them able to control their bodies. Almost seven years ago, they succeeded to take down our king using an innocent Holy Guardian. Her name was Toyama Hisako, the chosen human before Sousuke. None of us were prepared for the loss and his son had to delay the holy ritual for a year before he was ready to receive the message of you being our next guardian.”    

   Haruka gulps.

   “What happened to Toyama after she… lost control?”

   Makoto looks pained again, but this time he doesn’t try to hide it with a smile.

   “She passed away as the Shadow exited her soul, like with all the others they had taken.”

   Damn… He remembers seeing pictures of her back in the human world, she must only have been forty-or-something by now. Memories from that silly talk show he was a part of comes to mind. They hadn’t mentioned anything about the Holy Guardians dying at young ages. Does her family even know about this?

   These Shadows… This world might be more dangerous than every human has predicted it to be.

   Makoto continues saying that the Shadows tried doing the same thing to elves, but only a few minutes lasted until those elves’ bodies collapsed and died. It’s a theory that since the chosen humans carries a magical soul, but not a magical body, the Shadows are able to take control over them. With elves however, it must be their magical bodies preventing that from happening. 

   Forty-eight years ago, an elf was able to see a human’s soul, not knowing that human had lost their body to the Shadows. It is said that the human-Shadow had seduced the elf only to exterminate them as soon as they got the chance. After that, it continued happening to almost the majority of the remaining Holy Guardians. It’s another theory that the Shadows can fake the humans’ soul and choose which elves can see those souls, tricking the elves to bond, fall in love, and help them.  

   From then on, elves calls these Shadow-humans for _fakers_.

   These Holy Guardians… They had done everything they could for the elves, but then died doing the most horrible crime. The elves must have hoped for Haruka to be the light bearer, but if he’s not… then they’ll just nervously suspect him to eventually turn into a _faker_.  

   Haruka balls his fists.

   “How do I stop these Shadows?”

   “You’ll know soon enough, I think Rin and Sousuke would like to coach you.”

   _Who’s_ _Rin?_

   Before Haruka thinks any further regarding that, he sniffs and senses the smell of some sort of food. Actually, when looking away from Makoto and the books, he also hears the sound of cutlery in the kitchen.

   “Oh, sounds like they’re making something,” Makoto says. “Maybe it’s time to end this session, Haru.”

   Haruka agrees and they both tidy the place up from the history books. At the thought of food and what they have just discussed, Haruka remembers to bring something up. He asks Makoto about what kind of fish this world offers. Makoto tugs a tiny smile whenever Haruka asks questions.  

   He’s told that many of the sea animals are ancient species, as the Shadows luckily hadn’t touched them. Haruka mentions his favorite fish but sadly, Makoto replies that there are indeed no mackerel here. It’s ok though, a few days ago Haruka told Amakata about it and she gladly said she would fix a delivery.   

   Even though Haruka is talking with his monotone voice as ever, Makoto seems to find Haruka’s love for mackerel amusing.  

   “Did you use to fish mackerel?”

   “Yeah, and cook.”

   “Ah, you cook as well? You’re probably better than me ha-ha, I’m a horrible cook.”

   “I could teach you someday.”

   “Huh?”

   Makoto has placed the last remaining book into the bookshelf in Haruka’s bedroom. The room is bathed in orange light, illuminated by the curtains covering the windows.

   “You’ve been good teaching me,” Haruka says. “Then maybe I can teach you how to cook.”

   Makoto blinks and if Haruka is not mistaken, his pointy ears has turned red.

   “T-Thanks… That would be quite nice, actually.”

   “HARU-CHAN! MAKO-CHAN! WE’VE MADE DINNER!” The shouting comes from the floor under, and Nagisa obviously sounds proud as he calls their names in a prolonged way.  

   Makoto stills when hearing that, then he smiles at Haruka.

   “Maybe you could give them some tips as well,” he says.

   Haruka returns the smile, but something feels odd. Why is it that, with just that smile, with the orange light bathing the contour of Makoto’s body and complimenting his hair, that Haruka wishes for the taller boy to stay there? Why is it that he feels weird when Makoto walks out the door? Why is he noticing all of these things?

   Haruka ignores the feeling in his gut again and follows Makoto out the door.

   “Tell me, Haru-chan, how much have you tasted of elvish food?” Nagisa asks as they enter the kitchen.

   “Not much,” Haruka replies. He ate some at the banquet. It was really interesting, though some of the meals were… perhaps too remarkable with the spices.   

   They each take a seat around the table and steam hovers in the air leading from the heated pot. Rei places the dish before Haruka and he comes to realize that he can’t really judge Rei and Nagisa’s cooking when he doesn’t know a thing about this land’s ingredients. Rei mentions that he had to stop Nagisa from putting sweets along with the dish.

   Strange colors appears in the sauce and Haruka would’ve taken it for poison if it was presented for him by a human chef. It brings him to doubt.

   Nevertheless, he grabs the spoon at his side and attempts to give it a taste. The others are patiently observing his coming reaction. 

   “Mm.”

   Though it has a rather special flavor, it’s actually pretty good.

   Haruka gives a short nod of approval and Nagisa gasps as he smiles the proudest smile.

   They all continue their meal with lighthearted chatter. No talk about evil creatures taking over the world or extreme responsibilities, just casual bantering, and Haruka honestly feels comfortable.

   A while later, the others return to the barracks where they live. And as night falls over the Northern nation, Haruka changes his bedsheets and creeps into his bed that has finally become amazingly cozy again.

   Just before he falls asleep, he thinks about everything Makoto had taught him. The history of the elves is so much more dramatic than Haruka was expecting it to be. He thinks about how much torture and death they have endured, how much they’ve struggled without the majority of the humans knowing.

   Despite all this, Haruka is optimistic for the first time in his life. Something is telling him that no matter what, everything will end well.

   Slowly, he falls asleep ready to meet the next day. He cannot wait to go outside again. He cannot wait to see what more this world has to offer and to see more of this nation’s streets and life. He cannot wait to finally begin his training and experience the life he is destined to experience.

   After all, he’s here for a very special reason.

****

**_________________________________________________________ **

 

 

    A few kilometers away from the Holy Guardian’s house, the forest lies, and in there, something lurks. That something, is silently scoping around the parts of the village it can see. 

**“…”**

**“…………….”**

**“…”**

   That something, makes a sound. A happy sound according to the something, but anyone else would shudder from the high-pitched shriek.

   **“…”**

**“………………….”**

**“…”**

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next: The first encounter.


	5. The first encounter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some of the tags have been changed, sorry for the possible misleading!  
> Remember that you can still follow my twitter @thekaspan  
> This chapter has been beta'd by @CriizBastidas on twitter  
> Enjoy!

   _A dream._

_He can’t tell whether it’s cold or warm, merely that the thin air is encircling him. There’s no nature around him. Everything turns darker and darker by each second._

_A nightmare?_

_A silhouette of a boy is standing before him. The boy turns his back against him, and takes slow steps into the darkness._

_No, don’t go. Please._

_He reaches out to him with his hand._

_He calls his name, but he won’t turn around. Instead, the darkness consumes the boy._

   He wakes up with tears in his eyes and doesn’t remember a thing.

 

 

   It has rained a lot recently and he doesn’t mind it one bit. He truly wants to enjoy the darker weather now when he has the chance, as in not long, summer will come, and the dreading sun will most likely come to show during the next months in place of the rain clouds. There’s no question why, he simply prefers the colorless, smooth water drops and the light grey clouds above anything else.       

   Yesterday it rained and Haruka is honestly a bit bummed that he wasn’t allowed to go out to enjoy it. He was still dealing with a weak cold after he got through the flu, and Rei – following the orders of Amakata – refused to let him go outside to prevent any further damage on his health. Despite that however, it was nice having him, Nagisa and Makoto at his place to pass the day. He got a lot of education out of it too.   

   Since he couldn’t go outside, he sank himself down in the wonderful and tremendous bathtub for an extra-long while, before he’d sit by the window and watch the sky cry away.   

   He has always been like that. Perhaps it’s thanks to his parents, who would take him out for walks in the woods as soon as he could walk fine, and to the beach and the local swim pool where they taught him to swim. They always made him feel welcome in the water and bad weather.   

   There was a time when the water felt painful. His parents always watched over him as he jumped in puddles, swam, took morning baths and fished by the sea, but then suddenly, they weren’t around to do that anymore. Their missing presence was crippling, but eventually he found comfort when laying in the bathtub, when swimming, and when going into the woods on rainy days, as if his parents hold an invisible presence within the water drops. It’s the only places where he can still sense them. They are alive in the water.  

   He knows it sounds strange, so he hasn’t bothered to tell anyone about how he feels.   

   One time, when he was about ten years old, some kids at his school had made fun of him for having his clothes drenched when he arrived late to class. It had been a downpour across Iwatobi and it was just barely that Haruka resisted the urge of standing under the rain through the whole class period. Someone had apparently seen him facing the rain weirdly as they’d shouted this while pointing at him and his clothes as soon as he reached the classroom. He clearly remembers this one girl saying: _“Stop laughing! Don’t you know that he’s an orphan?”_

   Haruka had told himself that he didn’t really mind the kids laughing at him, but when he sat down on his seat, he had suddenly felt extremely lonely.

   That was in middle school, but still, right now on this sunny day, as he’s walking up the slope with three boys accompanying him, he notices how his social life has already been turned up-side down since back then. 

   It’s Thursday morning and it actually feels warm standing under the sharp sunlight casting down from the lonely glowing ball far up in the sky. Haruka has brought his good-old bokken with him.   

   “Let’s show him the barracks!” Nagisa beams and scuttles ahead of the others.

   Makoto and Rei are walking beside Haruka as they make their way up the slope towards the part of the nation that Haruka has yet to discover.

   The buds on the trees seem to have grown, and a few chirping birds are flying from tree to tree. There are many other teenagers and young adults around here. Some of them are running around, but most of them are staring at Haruka. He notices how some guys are obnoxiously glaring. What’s their problem?  

   Exactly as he holds that thought, two girls who are holding hands walk past them and Haruka overhears their whispers.

   “He hasn’t done anything besides locking himself up in that castle of his.”

   “He’s not the light bearer, so why not just send him home?”

   He turns around, and the girls know they heard him, for they suddenly look at each other flustered before hurrying down the slope and away from them.

   Wow, even in another world, Haruka can’t escape these kinds of situations.

   “Don’t listen to them,” he hears Makoto say behind him, sounding kind of hurt. “They don’t know what they’re talking about.”   

   That’s something that has never happened before. Haruka steals a glance at Makoto, who must be the only one besides Haruka who heard the girls’ whispers. He scowls at their backs, before meeting Haruka’s eyesight who quickly looks away.

   “Are you okay?” Makoto asks behind him.

   “It’s not bothering me,” Haruka answers shortly, and he thinks he’s speaking the truth.   

   They continue up the hill towards the barracks. Upon hearing the word ‘barracks’ Haruka had imagined these plain structures, but on the contrary, the place is huge and the buildings are intimidatingly tall compared to all the other constructions Haruka has seen in this nation. There are four brick-buildings surrounding an area together, and are way different from all of the typical east Asian architecture around here.    

   Rei points at the other side of the hill, down to another tall, round building, saying that is where they use to eat. The cafeteria hall. Standing before that are about twenty-five smaller buildings, supposed to be the dojos where students are to train. 

   They show him inside the barracks and though its façade is fancy, the indoors is more plain and it’s crowded with hasty students. Some teenagers try to stop them saying things like, “Look! It’s him! It’s really you!” Older people keep glaring at Haruka and he almost feels a sudden claustrophobia creeping up on him until they’ve finally reached Nagisa and Rei’s room and they step through the doorway and leave the crowd of students behind.     

   The room is tiny. Very tiny.

   “This is where you live?” Haruka asks and silently regrets his uncalled-for question.

   “It’s small, but it’s enough,” Rei says, keeping his good manner as always.    

   It’s just like a dorm, which makes it easier for Haruka to understand why they wouldn’t mind the size. Still, he wonders how they feel about having lived here for so long, and that they will continue to do so for a very long time.

   They quickly exit the barracks as there aren’t much else to do there. Being finished with showing him parts of the nation for today, it is time for Haruka’s very first training session. He doesn’t know what he is expecting, but he hopes it will go well.   

   It takes about ten minutes walking down the hill from the barracks to where students are showing up for training practice. More adults are here, they must be tutors. Which of them will be tutoring Haruka? Even though their group is only packed with young students, they apparently train on their own, only a few times are they watched over by a tutor. Makoto had mentioned Yamazaki and another girl’s name and that they will most likely coach him. Nagisa also mentioned once that Yamazaki has a soulmate, maybe that’s who she is.    

   “Sou-chan is really good at fighting!” Nagisa informs Haruka. “He was quick to catch up with the other kids, both he and Rin-chan are super-talented!”  

    They turn around a corner and are about to enter one of the dojos. Here, both the building’s outside and inside are greatly aesthetically pleasing. The dojo is closest to the woods compared to the others – one can sit by the entrance and still feel close by the nature – and almost everything seems to be build up of wooden material.  

   As they come in the entrance, Haruka spots Yamazaki standing in the middle of the training hall. He’s scratching his shoulder – which is more exposed than usual and is oddly enough covered in a black fabric – while fixating his gaze at the opposite side of the room.  

   Unlike his usually stern expression, he’s actually showing off a smile at something–

   –Or someone, Haruka realizes as a manly figure steps into his vision and blocks the way. It’s a redhead. 

   “Now would you look at that, our newest student is finally here.”

 

 

**_________________________________________________________ **

  

 

   Standing one step above them while carrying a smug grin, Rin looks down at Haru, showing his pointed teeth. He’s wearing a black yukata as per usual and his hair is fixed into a ponytail, with a hair lock caressing his cheek.

   Haru looks confused for a second, before he politely bows and introduces himself.

   “Matsuoka Rin, I’ll be coaching you,” Rin replies. He doesn’t bow.

   Haru blinks. His face remains expressionless, but it’s like he just witnessed a discovery. 

   “Oh… so you’re actually a guy?”

   The earlier grin on Rin’s face immediately vanishes like thin air. Nagisa snickers. Haru probably didn’t mean to, but Makoto is afraid he just pulled on some dangerous strings.  

   “…What was that?” Rin asks in a grunt.

   “Aha! He must’ve mistaken you for a girl, Rin-Rin!” Nagisa teases.

   “Shut it!” Haru doesn’t move until Rin continues saying: “Forget it! Just come on in!”  

   Even the usual uptight Rei seems to be holding back a sneer. It’s not the fact that Haru thought Rin was a girl at first when hearing his name that is funny, but it’s something about Rin being sensitive around the subject that the others find amusing.   

   They enter the hall and Makoto takes notice at how Haru’s eyes impulsively searches around the area. Multiple bokken and a few swords cover one wall and the roof stands tall in the building. Makoto looks at the white bokken Haru is carrying. He’s been told he would train a lot with it back in the human world. Though he feels a bit anxious around initiating conversations with Haru, he points out his bokken and asks if he has trained in a dojo before. He receives a short nod.    

   “I’d train the aikido style every week back in Iwatobi,” he says as he scans the many different swords hanging on the wall.

   “Aikido huh,” Rin muses behind them. “I think I’ll show you something a little bit different.”

   Haru turns around and changes his grip around the bokken as he presents it for Rin.

   “I got told I’d need this for the sessions.”

   “That’s right,” Rin replies. “For this session, we’ll see if you’re any good and whether you deserve to be in this group or not.”  

   Haru’s usually doll-like expression turns into discontentment. Rin’s words are even confusing for Makoto. Haru doesn’t need to prove his worth, does he?

   “You others sit back and watch,” Rin instructs the group. “I’m sure you’re just as excited as I am to see the new Holy Guardian’s power, therefore, I’m challenging you to a duel!” 

   Oh dear, Makoto sincerely hopes this will end well.

   Rin briefly exchanges a few words with Haru about where they’ll stand before grabbing his own hanging bokken from the wall. The winner will be the first to disarm the other.       

   To be fair, Makoto has always been horrible at sword fighting and he has never felt any true joy in the training he has done either. Mostly during practice, he has focused on working out and studying magic formulas and that has worked way better for him. Nagisa and Rei doesn’t prioritize sword fighting either, though they both have always been more talented at handling weapons than Makoto. However, it’s a different case with Sousuke, who quickly found the tone with Rin during practice. It wouldn’t surprise Makoto if they turned out to be on the top among the most skilled students in the entirety of the Northern nation.

   Makoto steals a glance at the blue-flaming soul floating about in Haru’s chest. He breathes out calmly at the sight of it.

   Rin tucks his free hair lock to behind his ear as he stands his position before the already prepared Haru.   

  “Of course, I’ll take it easy on you, but I’ll make you get a good first impression of my strength either way,” Rin says, tilting his chin upwards.

   Haru doesn’t say anything, but instead follows Rin’s movement and they both bow, signaling they are ready for battle.

   _Let the duel begin._

Makoto and the others are sitting down on their knees at the side of the room. A few seconds passes, yet they feel like an eternity while they’re sitting in silence, waiting for one of them to make the first move.

Abruptly, before Makoto can grasp it, Rin begins to advance. He heads towards Haru with his arm stretched out.

   In a split of a second, Haru seems shocked by the drastic speed, but manages to jump back immediately. Alas, Rin only closes the distance again with a playful smirk. He’s bokken screams across the air towards Haru and Makoto clenches his teeth in suspense.   

   Haru defends the attack with his bokken held up high nonetheless, but Rin’s force is so great that he’s pushed backwards.    

   “Is this all you got?!” Rin’s words rings with a sardonic tone as he launches another attack.  

   Haru stays quiet. He keeps being pushed backwards, until he finally manages to dodge his opponent and extends the distance.

   It’s almost like he’s gracefully dancing while dodging Rin’s series of attacks soundlessly. Makoto has never seen anyone carrying on with such elegant footwork.    

   “Aikido, the martial art which focuses on defense while keeping your opponent safe from harm,” Rei remarks. “He’s technique is beautiful, but it’s facing its complete opposite being Rin’s malicious fighting method.”

   In the next instant, a sharp, direct thrust unleashes and Haru’s bokken flies off his grip and loudly bangs on the floor. Rin was smirking the entire time, but now he gives a slightly disappointed smile.   

   “So that was it, huh... To be honest, I expected more.”

   Something about Haru’s expression twitches. Hastily, he takes a step closer to his bokken and picks it up, before turning to Rin again.

   “Again.”

   It takes Rin a moment before he bends over his back laughing.  

   “Ha-ha! You want me to beat you again?”

   “I’ll be stronger this time,” Haru says. He looks untouched by Rin’s mocking words.

   They stand their positions again. Rin is still grinning, and though Haru doesn’t show it, something is telling Makoto that he seems somewhat irritated. 

   “We’re cheering for you! Haru-chan!” Nagisa shouts, a bit louder than necessary.

   With that, the two encounters each other for a second time. They repeat many of the same moves, sometimes Nagisa and Rei loudly encourages Haru. Haru tries his best, his eyes extremely focused at his opponent and stance, but in the end, the outcome is the same. This time the bokken flies even further away, almost across to the other side of the room.

   “Again.”

   “Really? You sure you won’t bore the others again? Or me?”

   This time, as Rin heads towards Haru, Haru strikes his bokken against the other, surprising both his opponent and the audience.

   Rin’s grin disappears. He struggles to keep his balance at the sudden blow, and Makoto feels hope flooding inside his chest.  

   _Can he actually beat Rin?_

   As if on que just to prove him wrong, Rin closes the distance again and keeps going in for the offensive right away. From that on, they keep repeating the same moves as earlier, attacking and evading a series of attacks. Drops of sweat appears on Haru’s face.  

   “Nanase used to train with his parents when he was a kid,” Sousuke states in all of a sudden.   

   Makoto looks at him. He is crossing his arms as he watches the duel.

   “Oh, I see,” Makoto says. 

   Haru’s parents… Makoto wonders what they are like. Did they teach him this martial art? How did they feel when Haru had to leave?  

   His thoughts are immediately shattered by Sousuke’s next comment.

   “I don’t know if anyone’s told you this but… they passed away when he was seven.”

   Shocked, Makoto looks at Sousuke again.

   “What…?” he says, but his voice isn’t even audible. He then looks back and forth from him to Haru.  

   _No way…_

   Sousuke sighs. “Yeah, it’s pretty heavy. They said it was a car accident.”

   A car accident… This world doesn’t have any of those. Makoto feels angry for a second, but then, staring at the wooden floor, he almost wants to cry.

   Haru hasn’t had a family since he was seven…

   He looks up at the boy carrying the tiny, blue soul.

   It looked like Haru could beat Rin for a second, the latter clenching his teeth while being maneuvered by Haru’s foreign technique. Alas, regardless of Haru’s great attempt, Rin snaps and disarms Haru for a third time. Though this time–

   “ _Ufh!_ ”

   –He was able to shove Haru backwards to the point where he fell hard on his bottom.   

   “Congratulations.” Rin says this as he points with his bokken at the fallen Haru. “You made me almost use all of my strength there. But your martial arts or whatever won’t work here! Not against me! And never against the Shadows!”

   Haru scowls.

   “…Does the Shadows attack like you do?”

   For the first time today, Rin’s face turns expressionless. He lowers the bokken.

   “No.”

   He turns around and walks across the room. Haru raises an eyebrow and lightly gets up to his feet. Rin places the bokken back on a ledge on the wall and then picks up a sword. The weapon is colored red and looks fancy, with a detailed flower-patterned holster.   

   “They kill in excessively gruesome ways,” Rin says, his bare feet moving towards the center of the room again. “They are difficult to kill, trust me when I say you’ll need to attack with all you got.”  

   He simply exchanges glances with Sousuke, and the latter gets up without a word as well. Then Rin orders Haru to take a seat and Makoto has to admit his heart skips a beat as Haru sits down beside him.

   “Are you hurt?” he asks. The fall looked pretty rough.

   “It’s nothing,” Haru replies, his voice lacking that usual monotone tone of his, but Makoto decides to not bother him with questions any further.       

 

 

**_________________________________________________________ **

 

 

   Actually, the fall did hurt him, kind of, but of course he won’t admit to that. He decides to sit down beside Makoto and senses that Yamazaki and Matsuoka are probably up for some kind of a demonstration.   

   Leaving the earlier fall as an exception, that Matsuoka-guy hasn’t really hurt Haruka, yet Haruka really has a problem with his attitude. Not only is he cocky, but he’s cocky while having those ridiculously sharpened teeth. Just what is with that conceited guy? He can’t actually imagine him being friends with Makoto.

   It’s the first time in years somebody has beaten him in a fight. Even the owner at the old dojo back in Iwatobi had been vincible for Haruka. Haruka hasn’t experienced this kind of crushing defeat in a long, long time. On one hand, Haruka is up for a challenge, but on the other, _not with this guy!_

   Yamazaki has picked his own black-colored weapon and he and Rin simultaneously outdraws their swords from their holsters. To be honest, Haruka feels a bit awkward meeting Yamazaki after what had happened the night at the banquet. He hasn’t even said sorry or anything since then.  

   However, that is a thought he will never think of again, as Yamazaki starts speaking. 

   “You’ll see a Shadow someday, and when you do, don’t ever let them touch you,” he says with his usual stern expression and deep voice. Carrying that sword, he looks even more threatening than ever. “If otherwise, you have three outcomes. Either, they’ll erase your soul and take control of your body or they’ll kill you on the spot. Outcome number three is only if you’re extremely lucky: You’ll get a permanent burning mark on where they touched you.” 

   Haruka eyes upon the black fabric covering Yamazaki’s left arm and shoulder. _No… Is he… speaking from experience…?_  

   “Eyes on our duel, _Nanase_ ,” Matsuoka snaps. He probably noticed Haruka’s realization.  

   Yamazaki and Matsuoka begin to duel and it’s completely different from the previous fight. They must have done this a lot of times, for their fighting is in complete sync. Haruka remembers the first time he had met Makoto. He mentioned something about Yamazaki having bad eyesight, so Haruka thought that and Yamazaki’s covered arm would be at disadvantage at first, but they don’t seem to be an obstacle at all as his arm seems fine and his offence is incredible. He launches attacks twice, three times, but Matsuoka evades every lunge. Matsuoka is smiling differently during this fight.  

   The duel continues, the loud clinging sounds coming from the blades echoing through the room along with Nagisa’s cheering, until finally Yamazaki catches an opening and wins. Now Yamazaki is smirking as well.  

   Haruka hates to even think it, but he’s truly impressed. It seems like he has a lot to learn from them.

   “So, what do you think?” Matsuoka asks Haruka.

   “I still prefer aikido.”

   “Huh?!” Matsuoka outbursts, revealing his shaky temper.

   “…But I’ll let you teach me your skills, I guess,” Haruka says with gritted teeth, looking away.   

   After a few hours they call it a day, and that was Haruka’s first training session in the elves’ world.

   From now on, there will be practice every day except from Sundays. Lasting from nine am to three pm. No scheduled breaks not including lunch time at twelve pm.  

   The next day, one of the tutors comes in to view Haruka and the other’s training. He introduces himself as Gorou Sasabe and looks pretty laid back – compared to all the other adults who just kept talking about what an honor it was to meet Haruka – he was simply excited about the training and he even gave Matsuoka some advice on his stance.  

   Haruka feels uncomfortable changing martial arts, but it seems like he will need to if he wants to get on the others’ level. Still – and he knows it sounds silly – it feels like he’s betraying a part of his former self by abandoning his style.    

   The last time he would train with so many people was when he’d go to the local dojo in Iwatobi with his parents. Training here, his surroundings are even noisier than back then, but he’s soon to realize how it’s not all of the new presences around him that he finds wearying.        

   Makoto is sitting by the corner, reading a thick book. Come to think of it, he hasn’t even touched any of the weapons hanging on the wall since Haruka began his training here. While Sasabe is giving instructions to the others, Haruka wordlessly walks over towards the calming presence.    

   Even though he thinks his bare feet are barely making any sound as they grace the wooden floor, Makoto notices Haruka coming over anyways and looks up. He draws a relaxed smile.

   Wait a minute. Haruka has forgotten why he walked over here. What was he going to say? He takes a clumsy step as he realizes this and instantly saves himself from falling, but everything has suddenly become awkward as he stands there before Makoto.

   “You’re not training like the others,” Haruka says, weakly attempting a conversation.

   Fortunately, Makoto doesn’t seem to bother.

   “Actually, I am training,” he says and points at the book. “I’m educating myself formulas.”  

   The book looks old and something that looks like strangely drawn hiragana covers the pages.

   With that, Haruka remembers the first time he witnessed a magic spell. It was at the greenhouse with Makoto. He has a comforting first impression of magic.

   He eventually decides to sit down in front of Makoto.

   “What are you learning?”

   Makoto picks up the big book easily and flips a few pages back in the book.

   “This last year, I’ve read through the magic in the plant kingdom, and how to support the nature.” On the pages, there are multiple drawings of flowers and buds. “Nature is not to be messed with however, so the spells I learned will mostly come in handy when growing vegetation.”   

   He flips to a page where a drawing of the sun covers half of the page.

   “I also learned how to heat up things and create warmth,” he says and looks lighthearted up at Haruka. Haruka actually feels like returning the smile.  

   Then, Makoto returns to the page he was reading. It carries a similar illustration like the previous one, however this one is the figure of an eclipse. 

   “But, starting from this past month,” Makoto continues. He carefully places the book down on the floor again. “I’ve begun reading about detailed illumination magic. This magic can help bring the Shadows down and erase their darkness. I’m about to learn my first spell on this.”   

   Interesting, Haruka thinks. He actually feels intrigued by all this magic-talk.

   “Could you show me that spell?”

   Makoto huffs out a laughter.

   “Sadly no, unless I wanted to turn you blind,” he says, and Haruka is left wide-eyed. “This spell is meant to hurt the enemy.”

   Suddenly, Makoto doesn’t seem so joyful anymore. He stares at the floor humbly and his expression has turned cloudy, as he says: “It’s the first harmful formula I’ve been teaching myself.”   

   Haruka observes how Makoto honestly looks sad upon saying that. If he’s against harming others then it makes sense how he’s not training for combat like his friends. Makoto must have trained a lot to have kept that body of his – Haruka is definitely _not_ indicating _anything_ by thinking this – but it looks like him and a sword isn’t as compatible like with Matsuoka and Yamazaki.

   “Oi! Nanase! Who told you to slack off?”

   Makoto flinches at the sudden interruption and Haruka looks back at Matsuoka annoyed. He then turns to face Makoto once again before standing up.

   “Hopefully you will never need to use that spell,” he says, not knowing where that came from. He’s not exactly used to comfort other people, but Makoto looks relieved, so that’s a good sign, right?

   He returns to his training, and that day pretty much continues similar to the previous one, as well as with the next one, and the next one…   

 

 

   It’s in the middle of April. The Northern nation is bathed in a thick fog this morning as Haruka is making his way towards the dojo. Luckily, most of the students are still probably having breakfast, so there are no one left to attract attention and glare at Haruka this time. Perhaps he should continue going to training earlier than necessary, if that means he can avoid all the needless fuss. He purely mulls over when his mackerel will finally arrive when entering the building.  

   He’s the first one to arrive, and he willingly begins training alone before Yamazaki and that Matsuoka-guy appears.  

   Haruka had heard from Makoto and the others that those two are bonded by their souls. No wonder they’re stuck to each other 24/7 like Nagisa and Rei. While keeping that thought and remembering how those two girls talking behind his back the other day were holding hands, Haruka realizes something and stops moving straightaway.  

   _In this world… everyone is very open about their sexualities…_

   Well that’s only fortunate for him.

   Haruka has never in his life been attracted to one specific person before, but he has always had the feeling that he’s not the type to only be drawn by the opposite gender, which isn’t exactly a norm among the majority of the humans, especially not in Japan.  

   Maybe it’s thanks to all that bonded-souls-stuff, Haruka figures, that the elves don’t seem to mind same-sex couples. Their love here is described as ‘destined’ and ‘true’ and they don’t give a damn about anything else. That honestly feels… liberating.   

   “Oi! What’s with that pose? Just because you arrive early doesn’t mean you can come here to slack off!”

   Haruka sighs before turning around. The redhead and his boyfriend are _finally_ here.  

   Matsuoka is wearing a light pink yukata today and goes ahead training right away. Only a few seconds later, Nagisa and Makoto arrives, and for some reason Haruka is relieved. Makoto goes to his usual corner carrying his book. Apparently, Rei is away at some errand, so Nagisa suggests for him and Haruka to duel together.

   Nagisa is shorter than Haruka – and way faster. After the duel with Matsuoka, Haruka figured he’d need to attack more, but Nagisa evades every strike quicker than the wind. Without acting mocking like Matsuoka, Nagisa truly looks like he’s having fun, laughing and jumping around until he takes over the fight and wins just after not more than one minute.  

   Dammit. These guys have been training more or less six days every week for he-doesn’t-know-how-many years. How in the world is Haruka supposed to beat them?

   However, Nagisa lacks stamina and quickly sits down and decides to complain to Haruka regarding Rei’s absence.    

   It appears that Rei is the president of the student council for their class among the other classes in this nation. Haruka didn’t even know they had such a thing. There are only about nine hundred students living here – a little over three hundred of them on the other side of the nation where they hold a different training regime for students wishing to become guards. Haruka is surprised by the low numbers.      

   Nagisa says he’s proud of Rei’s job, though he doesn’t seem so happy about him being away so much.  

   “One time, Rei-chan left to the Southern nation for almost two weeks,” Nagisa tells him, and continues his sentence with a dramatic tone. “It felt like my soul was splitting apart the entire time and I had horrible nightmares!”   

   He continues telling how soulmates react this way when being away from their partners, however, Haruka doesn’t understand it at all. Isn’t it just normal to miss your loved ones like that? He still doesn’t get this soulmate-thing.   

   Their conversation is sharply intervened by – lo and behold – a certain redhead glaring at them.    

   “Hey! Get up from your lazy asses!”

   “Rin-chan, you don’t have to shout!”

   Yamazaki has just been sitting around for a while and Matsuoka glares at him too.

   “Will you join me or are you just gonna keep staring at me?”

   “I’m not staring.”

   “You totally are!”

   Haruka wants to puke. He does not want to witness flirting between redhead and stone face.

   Meanwhile, Makoto silently reads in his book, but then, a few hours later he leaves out through the door without a word, before returning to the dojo again half an hour later. For some reason Haruka can’t help but wondering what he is up to.     

   Rei arrives shortly after and as three pm closes in, Nagisa jumps excitedly on his light feet.

   “Hey, hey, I’ve been thinking about this for a while now! Why don’t we have a sleepover?”

   “A sleepover?”

   “Yeah! It can be fun! We can have it at Rin-chan and Sou-chan’s new place!”

   Matsuoka’s face gives a grimace of confusion. “Why our house? Nanase has a much larger space.”  

   “But I’ve never even seen your house!” Nagisa is trying hard to make his eyes look innocent as he pouts.   

   Rei draws an apologetic smile at Matsuoka.

   “Regardless of where we’d have this sleepover, I presume that it’s a good idea to make Haruka-senpai more included into our group.”

   “I knew you’d support me, Rei-chan!”

   Matsuoka rolls his eyes, but somehow Nagisa is able to convince him to let the others stay over at their place and they all agree to meet up there later.  

   A ‘sleepover’, huh. It’s obviously a pretty casual thing to do, but Haruka never attended one back when he was a kid. He was always a basic loner.    

   Some time later on, it’s time for dinner and Haruka returns home to make himself some food. Evening is soon coming by when he finishes eating and as he’s washing his plate he impulsively decides to take a cleanup around the house. To be frank, it feels weird walking around in a massive house without anyone else there. Of course, the silence around him is comfortable as it has always been, but in one way, with the house being so big, the quietness makes this place almost feel haunted.   

   He was just finishing hanging his washed clothes to dry, when someone surprisingly rings at the doorbell. It takes a painfully long time just walking down the stairs to answer the door. He opens it and–

   –Makoto is standing there.

   He shyly gives short glances at different points in the air as he tells Haruka he wanted to guide him to Yamazaki and Matsuoka’s home. Apparently, he doesn’t need a sleeping bag or anything, so he quickly follows Makoto outside without exchanging too many words and begins walking.    

   Their house is supposed to be a couple kilometers away. It’s at the end of the quarter, closest to the forest surrounding the Northern nation.  

   “I was there the day before your arrival,” Makoto says. He tells about Matsuoka’s sister and that she had paid them a visit. Apparently, the rules around meeting your family in the Northern nation are very strict. It’s recommended that the citizens from the other nations are to not come here, if otherwise they’ll have a chance of endangering their own lives. Strangely enough, Haruka hasn’t really gotten the impression that he lives in a dangerous area, nearly to the point that he thinks the people here are just overreacting.   

   The fog from earlier today isn’t clearing up and the sky is becoming darker. Maybe he’s perceiving it wrong, but somehow it looks like Makoto has tensed up his shoulders.                 

   “So, Haru…” Another thing is, he has noticed how Makoto often mentions his name whenever he’s talking to him. “I was wondering, how do you like it here so far?”

   It takes him a few seconds, before he answers honestly, “I like it here.”

   Only Haruka doesn’t realize how unusual it is for someone to have a positive answer with such a monotone voice. Makoto smiles nonetheless.

   “Oh! I’m glad to hear that!” he says. “I was a bit worried about you and Rin finding the tone after your first duel, but I’m glad it’s going fine.”

   “Yeah.” Haruka doesn’t even try to hide his bit of annoyance this time and looks away.

   Makoto must have noticed this, as he stays quiet for a few seconds before continuing.

   “Uhm, I know Rin can get a bit overbearing sometimes.”

   “Yeah.”

   “And harsh with his words.”

   “Yup.”

   Haruka is surprised that Makoto actually admits to this.

   “B-But!” Makoto’s steps automatically becomes shorter along with his words. “I think he’ll warm up to you soon. He always needs some time getting to know people. He really has his good sides!”

   Haruka can’t believe it until he sees it. He takes a deep breath and looks up at Makoto.

   “How long have you two been friends?” he asks. Makoto needs a second to think.

   “Since we were five years old, I think. It’s been a while now. We grew up close together back in the Southern nation.”

   Well no wonder Matsuoka has warmed up to Makoto when they’ve known each other since they were kids. Though, Haruka cannot really imagine anyone not warming up to Makoto.   

   He stops his thoughts right there. What was he just thinking about?

   Before he knows it, a building, standing indeed close to the woods, comes in sight, surrounded by other smaller houses. Lit up lanterns stands by the road, those further away barely visible through the thick fog. The whole place gives the appearance of a peaceful village despite the fog and the dark ambience. Tutors live around here along with the earlier Holy Guardians, though well, Yamazaki is the only human around here as the older Holy Guardians have presumably moved away from the nation.  

   They eventually enter the house and notices Nagisa and Rei who have already arrived before them. The house is tinier than Haruka’s, but there are still far enough space for them all. There’s one main floor featuring an attic. Everything in the house carries a traditional Japanese style that Haruka is familiar with.  

   “Haru-chan, Mako-chan, welcome!” Nagisa beams as if he’s the one hosting the gathering. Greatly excited, he happily pulls Haruka away from Makoto and drags him into the kitchen, where Yamazaki is standing before a frying pan.   

   Haruka takes a glance behind him and is almost disappointed when perceiving Makoto is not following them, but instead turns to Matsuoka and Rei.   

   He turns back to what Yamazaki is making. Some kind of hot liquid spits out from the pan from time to time, hissing when hitting his apron. Haruka doesn’t believe it at first, but he sees there’s no oven beneath the pan, just simply a kitchen counter. There is a light coming from the counter; he supposes it’s a magic spell that is creating heat. It reminds Haruka of the spell Makoto used once. 

   “Sou-chan! Let him have a bite! I wanna see his reaction!”

   Something that looks like thinly sliced meat is frying in the pan. Without saying anything, Yamazaki hands over a pair of chopsticks to Haruka. He hesitates for a few seconds, before he takes one of the hissing squares of snack and puts it in his mouth.     

   It’s salty. And it pops weirdly on his tongue. Haruka kind of wants to spit it out right away, but then it gradually tastes better and better, before the sour aftertaste comes along.  

   “Ha-ha-ha, your face, Haru-chan!” Nagisa laughs. 

   “You’ll get used to the food around here,” Yamazaki says, before turning back to his cooking. 

   When the snack is ready, he puts it in a bowl and they head for the living room.  

   The others are there already, Makoto giving flame to the candles around the room without making any sound. There is a weird kind of slat with the picture of a bloom lying in the middle of the floor. Haruka follows the others as they each sit down around it, though he has no idea of what’s coming next.

   What the hell is this? The candles, them sitting around this random thing… Are they about to summon a demon or something?

   “This is a board game.”

_Oh._

   Rei teaches Haruka the rules as Haruka observes over the slat. It’s a unique board game where you’re moving pieces that carries pictures of flowers. The goal is to outnumber the others’ pieces.  

   They’ve always had to play the game in teams since their group used to be in an odd number. “But now with Haru-chan, it will finally be more fun!”  

   They start the game and Haruka is quick at getting the hand of it. Matsuoka is extremely competitive and honestly, Haruka is not surprised. His competitive mindset seemingly pays off as Matsuoka wins the whole thing. His excitement reminds Haruka more of a child than Nagisa’s usually childlike behavior, which clearly is saying something.    

   “Rin, congratulations,” Makoto says formally and bows his head. Everyone else does the same while congratulating Matsuoka as well. At first Haruka is a little weirded out, but then he figures this might be a common custom for them after playing games, so Haruka joins in as well.   

   “Congratulations, Matsuoka.”   

   “Oh come on, Haru-chan!” Nagisa interferes. “You can call him by his first name already!” 

   Haruka hesitates, but as all the others are staring at him, he gives in.

   “Then, congratulations… Rin…”

   Matsuoka – or Rin – doesn’t look amused, but replies nonetheless with a short ‘thank you’.

   They don’t get rid of the game right away, but instead starts sharing conversations about a whole variety of subjects. The six of them haven’t really done this before, so it’s kind of weird, but Haruka actually don’t feel so bad about it either.  

   Haruka has always thought he would forever prefer to be alone. In all of his life, he has easily felt exhausted by social interactions. Then, why is it that in these couple of weeks Haruka has been staying here, that he has been fine with hanging around with these guys? Has he suddenly found a less introverted side inside of him? Maybe he feels fragile, as he is entirely new to this place, and is more at ease when surrounded by people who has all the knowledge about this world. Or is it something else…?  

   Rei asks him about his life in Iwatobi and his hobbies. Haruka answers that besides following school, he mainly used his time for his interests, like swimming, training at the dojo, and sometimes painting. He was ok at those things. He was ok at school as well. Everything was ok.

   “Really? It was ok even though you were alone?” Nagisa asks.

   “Nagisa…” Makoto comments while frowning.

   Haruka is surprised at this. He has never mentioned how he never had any close friends, so why would Nagisa jump right to that? Then he sinks his shoulders, realizing what Nagisa must be thinking about.  

   _Oh, he’s talking about my parents, isn’t he._

   With this realization in mind, Haruka no longer feels pleasant and looks away.

   He isn’t used to talk about his parents and frankly, he doesn’t want to. Many years ago, the school nurse, his late grandma and some other adults would talk to him about the loss, but that was mostly it.

   “Well,” Haruka says, not knowing what to say right away. “You’re not with your families either, aren’t you ok with that?”   

   Nagisa curves his neck and stares emptily at the floor.

   “No. I’m not.”

   “…Either way, it’s something one just have to deal with.”

   “But how can you say you’re ok with that?” Nagisa raises his voice, not necessarily in an angry way, but more like he’s worried.  

   Worried… Ugh, the last thing Haruka wants is anyone unnecessarily pitying him.   

   “Nagisa, calm down,” Makoto warns. Rei softly places a hand on Nagisa’s arm.

   Rin and Sousuke simply watches in silence. Nagisa’s lips draws sudden jerking movements. 

   “I’m sorry,” he says. “I guess I just really miss my family…”

   “It’s ok, we all do, Nagisa-kun,” Rei says to comfort him.

   He tries to lighten up the mood by talking about his family. Makoto joins in and eventually Matsuoka and Yamazaki does as well. They all have siblings except from Sousuke. Haruka observes how Makoto chuckles a bit when mentioning his little siblings, who just so happens to be twins. Haruka wonders if they are similar to their older brother.  

   Nagisa has an older sister and they grew up in the Western nation. Rei grew up in the Eastern. When they were eight-to-nine years old and were forcefully transferred to the Northern nation, they had met one another and befriended Rin, Makoto and eventually Sousuke.          

   They have all known each other for so long and are still close friends. Upon hearing this, something is building up in Haruka’s stomach. Something flowing with a word he does not want to concede to – the word ‘envy’.    

   It’s getting late, Rei is the one taking the initiative by proposing they should all keep their sleep schedules intact. All of them begin tidying up and making place for the futons. Nagisa has cheered up, but he grabs an extra amount of the homemade snack, seemingly to raise his own spirit. Even now, Haruka remembers the taste of those and he will probably forever turn down the offer if anyone asks him to eat it again.  

   Rin and Sousuke has gone to their bedroom and the others are lying on their futons. Nagisa sometimes tries to start a conversation, which surprisingly the sleepy Rei isn’t bothered by at all.    

   Haruka does not feel like sleeping yet. He is sitting at the edge of the porch standing outside by the living room, the door behind him not completely shut.

  Worlds away, the sky is still the same. A lonely full moon accompanied by shiny stars appears through an opening in the thick, menacing clouds, being the only light to guide the way during the dark night. It’s still cold, yet the fog has cleared up a tiny bit. He silently gazes at the wall of trees bordering the deep, dark forest and senses a strange, but pleasant smell soaring in the air. If one stare into the dark woods long enough, it feels as if something could suddenly jump out at any second. Though mysterious-looking, the forest is so beautiful and gives off a tranquil vibe. Sounds coming from the creeks accompanies Haruka and his lonesome thoughts.       

   He thinks about what Nagisa said earlier. About him being ‘ok’.

   Of course Haruka is ok. There is no question behind it, it was needless of Nagisa to even mention it. Haruka has always been ok. What the hell, why shouldn’t he be? There was a year where everything felt kind of numb, that much he can admit to. He doesn’t remember much from that year after his parents passed away, but he received good help and everything eventually got better. There is so much he should be thankful for, he has possessed many things other people could only dream of having. It would just be stupid and meaningless to say he wasn’t ok. Because he was – and he is!

   Of course he’s ok.    

   Spontaneously, he witnesses something rustling in a bush not far away. Startled, he quietly changes his sitting position to on to his knees, looking warily at the moving plant.   

  _What was that?_

In contrast to his sudden fright, it doesn’t seem like there is anything to fear, for out of the bush appears a small, white and furry creature.

   _A cat?_

   Or perhaps it rather should be called a kitten. It seems to be very young and lightly makes its way between the creeks and rocks before Haruka. It carries something yellow on its back. Looks like blooming flowers.  

The kitten raises and tilts its head as it stares curiously at Haruka. Then, it runs around in circles, before funnily trotting towards the dark forest. Without any explanations, a strange urge to follow the animal bottles up in Haruka, and he automatically pushes himself down from the porch, hitting the ground.  

   He’s not thinking. His bare feet touches the cold, hard ground and his ankles graces the pointy grass as he goes after the kitten in a hurry. It’s like a force is dragging him towards the forest that is surrounded by hundreds of colorful trees that has lost their color in the darkness. He walks into the woods, where undergrowth covers most of the uneven ground.  

   In less than a second, he observes something in the color of white making an appearance in the corner of his eyesight. He follows it without any further thought on the matter. Just where did the kitten go?

   He doesn’t know how long he’s been running, until he notices he’s almost out of breath and has to gradually slow down his steps. The kitten is gone. He can’t find it.

   He stops and searches around with his eyes only for the lost animal. Then, he realizes what he has done.   

_…Why did I come here?_

**** **“…”**

   He has little to no idea where he is. Really, he should turn around and go back to the residence immediately. He should have been asleep next to the others in the warm living room by now, not go looking for a random kitten in the woods!  

   At that thought, the sight of a lonely flower standing across him only a few centimeters away abruptly distracts him. He would have mistaken it for a little sprout or a clover if he didn’t give it a proper look, but it’s an even prettier plant than anything like that. Haruka has never had any special interest in plants, but he can’t help but admire this one.   

   It’s a green bloom.  

   **“** **…** **”**

   There are no other flowers around – it’s still early in the seasons after all – but something about it makes it truly separate itself from the other plants around him: it’s color. Even without the full-grown leaves on the trees, the nature here is already so colorful, but it lacks a lot of the green that Haruka is used to from the other world.    

   He automatically crouches down and picks up the familiar-looking bloom. It’s like a little piece of home.   

   He stands up and silently observes the flower.

   **“** **…** **”**

   That is when he sees a blurry, gloomy figure standing behind his clear vision.  

   Haruka freezes – all his breath trapped. He loses the grip of the flower in shock and forgets about it completely.     

   _What the-_

   Someone is standing there. Perhaps twenty meters away. They are not saying anything, just standing there, staring wordlessly, and it freaks Haruka out. Their figure is slender and tall and their entire body is pitch-black. Maybe it’s Makoto or one of the others. Are they pulling a prank on him? No, it can’t be… Haruka can’t recall ever seeing a person that tall before. Besides, it looks like they are bald. Come to think of it… they’re head has an unusual slim shape.    

   It’s so dark and foggy, so Haruka can’t make out who it is. Or… what it is… It has the silhouette of a person but… their arms and legs are unnaturally long as well as their neck that is brutally crooked in a disturbed way. Are they hurt? It doesn’t seem so… they are just standing there like nothing.  

  **“** **…** **”**

   The fog and trees circling around them is creating an eerie ambience along with the stranger’s presence. Haruka doesn’t feel too good about this. His stomach turns as he gets the feeling of having made a horrifyingly bad mistake by coming here. He silently tells himself to keep his calm, yet a panicking feeling his rampaging throughout his whole body.      

   “Who’s there…?” he calls out, yet the person doesn’t answer. It’s just standing there dead still.       

   **“** **…** **”**

   Then, a high-pitched shriek shoots through the air.    

   Haruka’s uptight body twitches at the sound. He looks flustered around. Where did the sound come from? He then looks back at the person standing before him–

   –They’re standing closer. They must have taken a step while Haruka wasn’t looking, and then Haruka supposes they’re taking another one, for something that looks like their one leg moves forward. No, with a closer look it doesn’t seem like a leg. It is more like their body is floating as they come closer and closer towards Haruka – their body almost seeming to be made of black smoke.   

   Another screaming shriek struck through the air. Haruka is finally coming to his senses.   

   _That’s… That’s… That has to be a… No… No, please…_

   That thing is a Shadow. Haruka sees it now. It fastens its speed. It continues to scream in the language that Haruka cannot understand. His heart is rapidly pumping hasty blood to his head with such staggering force it hurts. All of his instincts are _screeching_ for him to run away. He tries to move, but he can’t. It’s like every muscle in his body has frozen still and given up completely.     

   The shrieking has transformed into a wheezing whispering. The thing must only be five meters away. It is tremendously tall compared to Haruka and he has no choice but to be forced into staring at the pitch black, empty darkness that is slowly consuming his vision. It raises something that looks like a huge hand and reaches out for Haruka. Haruka isn’t aware of it, but his breath hitches. Cold sweat runs down his neck.

   It draws itself closer and _faster_. He can’t see much of the woods anymore. Everything is turning dark as he looks up at the head that carries no face, just a black, empty void.  

   More whispering. The staggering truth hits Haruka like a train colliding with a wall at full force.  

   Right now, at this very moment, on this day after all the days he spent after he was born, Haruka is going to die. He’s going to die without giving any help to any of the elves. He’s going to die. He’s going to die in torture and it’s all in vain. He’s going to die. He’s going to die after being turned into a faker and being used by this monster. He’s going to die. He’s going to die not knowing that he’s already falling in love for the first and only time in his life. He’s going to die. 

_I don’t want to die._

   “HARUKA!”

   Like a bolt from the blue, someone tugs at Haruka’s shirt and pulls him backwards so he stumbles and falls many meters behind from where he was standing. He hits the grass heavily and looks directly up.

   Before him appears someone familiar.  

   _Makoto._

   “BEGONE!” Makoto screams with all the power bearing in his lungs. He’s blocking the view and looks tiny compared to the colossal, hissing Shadow. Waving his hand, a light suddenly appears and the Shadow cries out a screech.

   “Cover your eyes!”    

   Haruka immediately does as he’s told and covers his face using his hands, squinting his eyes shut. For a second, he hears the Shadow’s cry again as a red light flashes behind his closed eyelids.      

   “DON’T COME ANY CLOSER!”

   His screaming is shaky. Haruka opens his eyes. The Shadow stands further away now, but it doesn’t seem like it’s going anywhere. His heart pounds too loudly for him to hear anything clearly, but he senses Makoto’s hasty breath. His usually peaceful face has transformed into rage, yet his eyes exposes him of his obvious fear.   

   Haruka’s already petrified heart breaks by the look of pain in Makoto’s eyes, as his hands are shaking while he shouts, “I’M WARNING YOU!”

   The Shadow seems to hesitate before it slowly moves in closer towards Makoto. A shiver struck through Haruka’s spine as he fear the worst is about to happen.

   “Makoto…!”

   “RUN!” Makoto screams. Not to the Shadow. But to Haruka.

   Another kind of light is casted in front of Makoto and the Shadow wheezes as it quickly falls back.

   “I SAID RUN, GO!”

   Haruka simply watches in disbelief. Makoto continues casting spells and the Shadow tries to resist. He begs him to leave this place right at this instant, but Haruka can’t. He can’t go. He can’t run and leave Makoto behind. Never.   

   The bright light in Makoto’s hand pops up again and Haruka instinctively covers his eyes. Another flashing red light. Another scream, but this time, a whooshing sound along with a breeze flies over and beneath them, like a sudden storm circulates around the woods.    

   Haruka opens his eyes again. The Shadow has begun moving back to where it came from in hasty speed, shrieking curses that no one can infer. Its intimidating figure grows smaller and smaller, until it eventually vanishes away along with the howling wind.  

   Haruka unintentionally exhales a loud sigh. Makoto stands still, glaring at the air until the monster has been out of sight for something that feels like an eternity.   

   Silence.

   Haruka is left in shock and is still unable to move. 

   That… just happened.

   Haruka had blindly ran into the woods and got caught by a Shadow – then Makoto suddenly appeared and rescued him.

   What would have happened if Makoto didn’t come here?

   “Makoto…”

   Makoto suddenly turns around and runs towards Haruka. He crouches down so fast Haruka almost mistakes it for a fall, before Makoto desperately moves his body closer to Haruka.

   “Did it feel like it touched you?” he asks. His voice is much quieter, but his eyes seem still frightened and his lips are quivering along with his body.

   “No,” Haruka says so quietly from shock that it’s bearably audible. “I… don’t think so…” 

   That answer doesn’t seem to satisfy Makoto. His eyes are still wide in shock and he shakes his head before making eye contact again.

   “I need you to take off your clothes.”

   “What?”

   “NOW!”

   Makoto’s voice has become extremely shaky again. Startled, Haruka takes off his shirt without questioning it.   

   The breeze is cold against his bare skin, but Makoto’s warm hands makes it forgettable. He searches around his upper body with his finger, on his back, his arms, under his armpits, doing this seemingly stressed.  

   Wildly confused, Haruka lets him continue. Yamazaki had warned him from letting any Shadows touch him, is Makoto perhaps looking for any signs of any possible marks? He notices his harsh and uneven breath leave traces in the chill air.  

   Haruka doesn’t see any marks on his body, and now when he has had time to think about it, he is sure that the Shadow never touched him. It takes a while, until Makoto finally must be done and he instantly heaves a sobbing sigh. Then, he moves in closer. So close, he clutches Haruka into a tight hug and the latter tenses at the sudden embrace.  

   He doesn’t get much time to comprehend the embrace however, for Makoto abruptly holds his head back and his hands grabs onto Haruka’s shoulders with a strong grip.  

   “What were you thinking?!” he yells. It’s the first time Haruka has ever heard him so angry before, yet his grimace is all written in panic and fear. “You didn’t run away when I told you to! And why did you come here?! You should never walk alone when it’s this dark! Especially not in the woods! You could have…! You could have…”

   He speaks his last words under his breath and his sentence falls together and disappears with them. He bows his head, his shaggy brown hair only being a few millimeters away from Haruka’s nostrils. Haruka blinks. Makoto stays silent. 

   Yes, why did Haruka come here? Why did he just randomly follow that damn cat? Really, Makoto has all the reason to be mad at him. He literally walked straight into a Shadow unarmed and uneducated. The worst thinkable thing could have happened. He could have died.   

   He wants to say he’s sorry, but when considering it, it won’t matter either way. Him simply apologizing will never make up for his carelessness.

   “Makoto…”

   He tries to say something, but the only word coming out is his name. His body is still rampaging with fear from what happened and he’s freezing. Suddenly, he begins wondering about that Shadow. Scary thoughts pops up in his mind, stabbing him from the inside with ‘what ifs’.

   What if the Shadow actually did something to him?  

   “Makoto, am I a faker?” With that, Makoto looks up in surprise and meets his eye contact. “Just now… It got so close… Did it turn me into a faker? What if I wouldn’t notice if it did something to me? What if I’m unconsciously one of those? Or–”

   “No, Haru,” Makoto interrupts while loosening the grip around Haruka’s shoulders. “It doesn’t work that way, don’t worry.”

   His earlier tensed up mood is gone. Now he simply looks relieved, and Haruka is reassured as well after hearing his words. Makoto draws a faint smile.

   “I’m more certain than ever. You don’t have anything to do with them at all.”   

   It’s weird. Just a minute ago he thought he was on the verge of death. And now Makoto is here, telling him everything is fine. If Makoto wasn’t here, Haruka wouldn’t be here anymore either. He thinks about all these things, while meeting Makoto’s gaze, truly feeling grateful.  

   _That’s right, he has green eyes, just like that flower._  

   He’s slowly taking in how the scene has drastically changed. His head suddenly feels hot and he averts his gaze away.  

   “…You’re still on my lap.”

   Makoto is left wide-eyed as he notices how they’re sitting. “Oh! R-Right! Sorry…”

   He awkwardly gets up and lends Haruka a hand. Haruka takes it and stands, before he grabs his shirt and puts it swiftly on. It feels weird stretching his body after being unable to move for so long.   

   “We should hurry, it’s not safe here,” Makoto says, returning to a more serious manner. Haruka nods and they start running. He discovers that he’d most likely ran around in circles earlier when chasing that kitten, for they’re not exactly far away from Yamazaki and Matsuoka’s residence.

   He doesn’t know if he’s become paranoid or not, but either way, he has a feeling the Shadow could be following them, and he speeds up. Earlier, he’d chased a wild kitten, now he senses himself being chased.

   In contrast with his anxiousness, they shortly reaches the house and Haruka’s beating heart is finally calming down.

   “I… apologize for yelling at you,” Makoto says as they arrive by the porch. He takes a moment to finish panting before continuing speaking. “Earlier, I wanted to check on you, but you were gone. I was so worried, and then I think I heard you say something in the woods and I ran towards the sound…”

   With that, Haruka feels extremely guilty. Makoto shouldn’t be the one to say sorry. He changes his mind. He needs to apologize.

   “I’m sorry,” he says. He looks down and balls his fist. “I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have gone in there. It’s ridiculous, I saw an animal and wanted to get closer to it, but I ended up putting both yours and my life in danger.”   

   Now when he thinks about it, everything hurts even more knowing that Makoto was just as – if not even more – terrified as Haruka. And it’s all his fault.

   “Be more careful, ok?” Makoto says. Haruka nods and swears he will. “I’m sorry you had to see that monster. It might sound childish, but all this time I had hoped you’d never need to see one of those.”   

   His expression turns cloudy. Inside, all the others are most probably sleeping. None of them knows what has happened during their peaceful sleep.

   They agree to go get some rest as well, but none of them takes even a step closer to the door leading in to the others. Instead, they’re standing close to one another, stealing glances at the dark forest.

   Haruka really is fatigued, but he doesn’t want to go to sleep at all. The picture of the Shadow is imprinted in his mind, to the point where he’s afraid of closing his eyes. He can see it moving closer and closer, reaching out its claws. When Haruka looks at Makoto, it is easier to block away the memories.

   “That Shadow was relatively small, it must have been a scout,” Makoto continues after a few seconds of silence.   

   Wait, hold up, Haruka thinks. That Shadow was _small_? He doesn’t want to know what a normal one is like!  

   “The Shadows are more closer than I thought they would be,” Haruka comments. Makoto frowns.

   “Actually, it’s extremely rare of them to be so close,” he says. “We have to report what happened… this could mean bad things.”

   “What bad things?”

   “It could mean,” Makoto says with a pained expression. “That the new era of the Shadows has begun.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next: One of the right people.


	6. One of the right people.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has been beta'd by @CriizBastidas on twitter
> 
> Enjoy!

   _A dream._

_It’s warm, both the air encircling him and the feeling bearing in his chest. They’re closer than ever._

_Makoto is there._

_Haru is here._

_They both reach out, wanting to get closer to each other – the warmth in their chest growing stronger – almost touching the other’s fingertips–_

_–Until a black hole unfolds behind the boy in front of him._

_A nightmare._

_The black void casts over the other. The darkness consumes him and there’s nothing he can do to prevent it from happening right before his very own eyes._

_Everything turns black as he desperately cries out his name._

   He wakes up with tears in his eyes and doesn’t remember a thing.  

 

 

**_________________________________________________________ **

   It was a warm summer day. Not too hot, no rather, the warmth was perfect and the air pleasant to breathe in. The sun glowing lonely in the spotless, sky blue atmosphere casted light over the Southern nation. Elves were enjoying this beautiful day and the people’s delight was the most visible in a well-liked village lying deep inside the nation. And in the heart of the village, a nine-year-old-boy made his way down the road. The street was lively with people carrying a good mood as they went on with their sunny day.

   An elderly woman noticed the young child running down, tapping on the cobblestone with his bare feet. Being an old neighbor and therefore an acquaintance of the boy, she warned him to watch his step, but the kid didn’t have any time to even take note of the message as he had no time to lose, and were already gone before his neighbor had finished her lecture. 

   _“Rin-chan!”_ he shouted. Not even thinking that of course Rin-chan wouldn’t hear him when his friend wasn’t any near hearing range.

   Finally, his hasty tiny feet reached his destination: Rin-chan’s house. He stood on his tiptoes and knocked on the familiar door, while being unable to hide his excited grin.

   A woman answered the door and gave a soft smile as soon as she spotted the little boy.

_“Makoto, good day! It’s so nice to see you!”_

_“Good day Mrs. Matsuoka,”_ Makoto slightly bows and continued his sentence without taking any pauses for breathing. _“Is Rin-chan home?”_

   Indeed he was, Mrs. Matsuoka invited Makoto in before calling for her son. Rin-chan must have been bored or something, as when his mom told him Makoto was there, he left whatever he was doing and sprinted towards the entrance with a big smile.   

    _“Rin-chan, Rin-chan!”_ Makoto called him before they’ve even said ‘hi’. _“I’m gonna be a big brother!”_

   Rin-chan’s eyes lights up at the sudden news.

   _“Wow!”_ he gushed out. _“That’s so cool Makoto! I’m happy for you!”_

   Mrs. Matsuoka must have heard it, for she gasped in surprise and delightment. It didn’t take much time before they went out to their garden. Makoto liked Rin-chan’s garden. It has so much space for outdoor games. His garden at home has more plants and flowers, which is pretty to look at, but it’s not as fun as Rin-chan’s place. _Rin-chan even has a seesaw!_

   They each sat at their usual ends on the seesaw. Gou-chan was staying at a friend’s house and Makoto was a bit sad she’s not here to hear the news. Nevertheless, Makoto felt proud, a feeling he admittedly was not very familiar with.

   _“Now I need to grow up fast,”_ he said. _”So I can become big and protect my future sibling and maybe even the whole world!”_

 _“I’ll grow up before you!”_ Rin-chan teased. _“And I’ll be way taller than you, I also have to look out for my little sister, you know!”_

_“Gou-chan is very strong though! She can look after herself. I’ve seen you cry more times than I’ve ever seen her be a little bit sad.”_

   _“WHAT? Don’t lie to me!”_

_“It’s true!”_

   Rin-chan stopped the movement of the seesaw by stumping his feet onto the ground. Unable to get down, Makoto simply dangled his feet in the air.  

 _“Then what about you?”_ Rin asked. _“You get scared by every little thing! How are you supposed to protect the world when you’re a wimp?”_

   Even though Rin-chan’s words were true, Makoto couldn’t help but feel a bit hurt. He wanted to grow up strong along with erasing his fears. He truly wanted to, but doubt prevented him for saying it out loud. 

   _“There might be scary things out there,”_ he said. _“But I’ll still be able to protect the world.”_

   Rin-chan stared at Makoto as if he’s hopeless, but then he heaved a sigh while kicking himself up, making the seesaw move again.

   _“If you say so, then I’ll protect the world with you.”_

   Makoto couldn’t believe what he was hearing at first. A few seconds passed as he took in Rin-chan’s unforeseen romantic words. He has talked many times about how he wants to grow up strong just so he’s ready to protect his future soulmate, and Makoto felt all giggly upon hearing Rin-chan say stuff like he did just then. They were just rocking the seesaw in silence. Then he laughed.

 _“Hey,”_ Rin-chan warned. He looked flustered in all of a sudden. Makoto simply continued laughing. _“Stop that. Hey! You’re acting weird now!”_  

   Makoto drew a childish smile, feeling so grateful for having Rin-chan as a friend. Rin-chan was supportive in his own way and sometimes that’s just what Makoto needed.   

   They continued spending the day outdoors and decided to head over to Kisumi-chan’s house. Kisumi-chan was also a good friend whom Makoto held very dearly, and he too was thrilled by the news of the Tachibana’s new, future family member. They were all enjoying the wonderful day in blissful, carefree moods like the kids that they were. Until it became darker, and Makoto walked back home. He was alone, and the earlier busy street’s noise had been replaced with complete quietude.

   Makoto had always been afraid of the dark. Even though the night was yet to fall over the nation, he felt the need to hurry his steps. The sky was still clear, though this time covered in stars and a half moon. The way home wasn’t long and despite his nervousness he arrived at his residence in a happy mood. Today had been a good day, he thought to himself.

   When he opened the familiar door of the house he’s so familiar with, he instantly heard a not so familiar sound. 

   Someone was crying. 

   He stood quietly in the unlit hallway, unsure of what to do. The heavy sobbing came from the kitchen. It sounded like his mom. It sounded like his mom was hurt. Makoto felt his heart break into a million pieces.

   Before he knew it, his father appeared in front of him. He must have heard Makoto coming through the door. He was frowning in a weird way and his eyes were veined in red.    

   _“Daddy?”_ Makoto called out in concern. _“Why is mommy…”_

   He didn’t finish his question, and his dad didn’t answer to anything right away either. Daddy just crouched down and clutched Makoto into a gentle hug.

   _“It’s ok, don’t worry,”_ he said while slowly stroking Makoto’s hair. _“Everything will be ok, I promise.”_

   He said everything was ok, but he didn’t sound fine at all. Mommy walked out from the kitchen and towards Makoto. She wasn’t crying anymore and tried to smile, but when she got closer a sudden sob escaped her mouth. She leaned down and joined in the hug as well in silence. A lump welled up in Makoto’s throat. He didn’t understand what was happening, but he wanted to cry too.

   Outside, thick, dark clouds gradually coated the black sky.  

   That was the day Makoto received his first order from the Northern nation. That was the day he was recruited to live his life in the Northern nation’s regime, far away from home simply to protect the world. The day his destiny was presented in front of him.      

   And the fear of the darkness outside his home would only grow stronger.

 

 

**_________________________________________________________ **

 

 

 

   “Makoto-senpai? Haruka-senpai?”

   Makoto tries to open his eyes. Only two blurry, colorful heads are visible. He grunts and lazily rubs his wet eyes with his hands before offering his sense of sight a second attempt.    

   Haru has already awakened and gotten up beside him. He’s sitting still, his eyes carrying heavy, dark bags, his soul still as clear as ever. Rei had been the one poking Makoto’s arm while calling his name trying to wake him up. Nagisa stands behind him, looking strangely surprised.   

   “I knew you were difficult waking up already,” Nagisa says. Makoto yawns, still not completely awake. “But this time you’re even worse than me! You too, Haru-chan!”

   Smitten by Makoto, Haru squints his eyes as he yawns as well.

   “Well, finally you two are at least conscious,” Rei says. “Breakfast is ready, it wouldn’t shock me if Sousuke-senpai and Rin-senpai got tired of waiting and started eating already.”

   Makoto lifts his upper body with his arms and is slowly more and more aware of his surroundings.  

   “Ah… Don’t mind us, just go ahead. We’ll be there soon.”  

   Nagisa sighs in relief and complains over his hunger before heading for the kitchen. Rei follows and leaves the two drowsy boys alone.

   Sounds of bantering and clinging cutlery comes from the kitchen and there are singing birds outside.

   As Makoto glances at the shut sliding door leading to the porch, he suddenly regains his memories from last night.  

   “Haru,” he calls out carefully and turns to face the other. “Are you ok?”  

   Haru meets his gaze, only to look down again. He shrugs.

   “Didn’t sleep well.”

   “…Me neither.”  

   Makoto doesn’t want to, but the horrifying scene automatically replays in his head without any prior notice.  

   Last night, Haru said he’d be taking some fresh air before going to bed. It took a while before he returned to the living room, so rather than falling asleep, Makoto decided to check on him. He had expected to see him sitting on the porch, but the area was completely empty of people. Haru was gone.

   Already then, Makoto had started panicking and he began searching around the woods with his eyes. It wasn’t until he heard Haru’s voice that he’d ran towards the sound and found him and the Shadow. If it wasn’t for Haru’s bright blue soul illuminating in the midst of the darkness, Makoto doesn’t know if he would have found him in time. The sight had been terrifying – the fear that struck through him burns in his chest even now.    

   He wasn’t able to kill the Shadow either – and Makoto hates himself for it. He tried casting the deadly spell he’d been learning himself for the past weeks, but he was far too weak. The formula only made the Shadow back away, until it fortunately chose to escape.   

   Makoto had yelled at Haru right after and he actually felt quite irritated at that time, but he quickly changed his mind and was just simply grateful for them both making it out unharmed. As they eventually went to sleep, Makoto moved his futon closer to Haru, who didn’t really seem bothered by it, and they both fell into a light, troubled sleep.   

   “What about you…? Are you ok?”

   Haru’s question is sudden. Makoto wakes up from his deep thoughts and struggles to find his words right away. No, he’s not exactly ok, but he feels lucky. He’s lucky to have lived through another night – and this time beside Haru, who’s now looking at him with concerned eyes. Makoto draws a faint smile. It’s rare for Haru to express his emotions, making it even more special when he sees Haru worrying over him. It’s a selfish thought, but he can’t do anything to prevent it from making him feel warm inside.   

   “I’m happy we’re here now, together,” he replies before standing up.

   Haru looks up at him and Makoto notices how the blue glowing ball that is his soul makes a little jump, before Haru gets up as well.

   Makoto goes to the bathroom and washes himself a bit before heading for the kitchen. As he’d expected, the others have indeed started eating already. They are not finished yet however, as Makoto and Haru sits down by the table and thanks for the food before eating.  

   The breakfast as always tastes amazing… Sousuke is truly a good chef and it’s a blessing to eat something else than the usual food they make at the cafeteria house. But still… Even though the food is delicious and the others are in a cheerful mood, Makoto can’t help but feel like this whole scene is ironic and just out of place. His fearful thoughts doesn’t match this carefree and happy vibe.   

   The picture of the faceless Shadow appears in his mind, he accidently loses the grip of his chopsticks that makes a clinging sound, and Makoto immediately senses the stares from the others.  

   “You two, were you up all night or something?” Rin asks with suspicion hanging in his tone.   

   It takes a moment before Makoto understands that Rin is talking about both him and Haru, the latter looking just as disconnected from the world as Makoto feels.  

   The others have finished eating and are awaiting some kind of answer. Makoto folds his hands together under the table and clears his throat, before sharing glances with Haru.   

   Maybe he’s simply being delusional, but it’s almost like he can read Haru’s thoughts as they are both thinking the same thing.

   That Shadow is out there… Right now as they’re speaking…

   There is no time to waste. They have to tell them.

   “Something happened last night,” Makoto says. “Something that is in need to be addressed to everyone.”

   Rin raises an eyebrow. Haru isn’t saying anything, so Makoto continues.

   “Last night, Haru went outside and was spotted by a Shadow.”

   Nobody says anything. Nagisa and Rei’s unsure expressions turns into fear and disbelief. Rin and Sousuke freezes still – their eyes exposing their shocked state.

   “What are you saying…” Nagisa utters, his body shaking as well as the others.  

   “Obviously, we made it out unharmed as I found him before anything happened,” Makoto resumes. “It was small and probably a scout, but I wasn’t able to kill it. It might still be close by and it knows the Holy Guardian is here. We need to report it to Amakata urgently and maybe…”  

   Makoto presses his palm against the other as he utters his next words.

   “…Maybe it’s not so safe here anymore.” 

   Rin snaps a short curse. “What the hell did you do?” he blurts out and points hi glare at Haru.

   Haru looks annoyed at Rin’s response, but then he bows his head.

   “I’m sorry,” he says. “I was being reckless and ended up putting both Makoto’s and my life in danger.”  

   Rin doesn’t seem one bit happier from the apology. Haru begins telling about everything that happened. From the cat he saw – that Makoto thinks he remembers meeting a while ago – to after he ran away from the woods with Makoto.

   It’s the first time Makoto has heard Haru talk so humbly and for so long. When he mentions the moment he saw the Shadow he grabs the fabric of his trousers and Makoto can see his expression changing.  

   Makoto feels so bad for Haru. He remember the first time they’d met, when Haru asked him what the elves were fighting against. Haru didn’t even know that the Shadows exists, and even if he did, nothing could have prepared him enough for the encounter last night.

   Still, he keeps talking. The others are listening, Nagisa shaking his head a few times in disbelief and worry and Rei doesn’t mouth a word.      

   When he’s done, Sousuke gets up from his seat and begins taking the plates from the table. He hasn’t really glanced at Haru’s direction at all in the past minutes and seems to have isolated himself in deep thoughts.

   That is before he says: “You’re right Makoto, you two should get out of here and report it.”    

   Makoto looks at Haru again and nods.  

   Nagisa has only watched the conversation in silence so far, but now his mouth twitches and his big, bright eyes are all watery.

   “Mako-chan, Haru-chan… I’m so glad you’re ok… I spent last night being embarrassed about the things I said yesterday, whilst you were out there and were almost…”

   He doesn’t finish his sentence, but only shakes his head once again. Rei is quick to grab his hand.   

   “We’ll come with you,” Rei says. “I’ll ensure tutors are sent in for a look out after the Shadow.”

   They get up from their seats. Rin and Sousuke simply cleans the table, they are the only ones who haven’t changed their upset reactions.

   It only takes a minute before the rest are ready to go and are heading out from the doorstep. Having only one task on their minds, they’re suddenly interrupted when somebody pulls Haru from the entrance by his arm.

   “You…”  

   Rin holds a strong grip around Haru’s wrist. Behind him stands Sousuke, their shocked state from earlier has changed – they are furious. The emotions are evident in the piercing glare Rin gives Haru standing confused in front him.      

   “You’ve done nothing but laze around, cause trouble and make everything more difficult for Sousuke, do you know that?”  

   Haru scowls.   

   “No, I do not, I’ve done everything the best I could,” he says, shaking his arm free from the grip. “And I haven’t done anything to Yamazaki!”  

   “Are you kidding with me?” Rin snarls and takes a step closer while clenching his teeth. It seems like he’s ready to burst out at any second. The atmosphere between the two feels surrealistic after the good memories and shared laughs from yesterday.

   The others are standing a couple meters away. Makoto did not see Rin’s sudden behavior coming and only watched the scene in silence, before he instinctively steps in between the two.     

   “Hey now, is this really necessary?”

   Rin hesitates. Sousuke clicks his tongue and steps forward.

   “… Just get out of here already,” he mutters. “You better learn from what happened out there _Nanase_ , or who knows if it the Shadows will be the only enemy that wants to take you out.”

   Makoto creases his eyebrows as well. Sousuke’s last sentence makes Makoto feel a familiar hurtful knot in his chest. He doesn’t want to admit it, but amongst his words there is a cruel truth.

   After that, they begin walking closer to the center of the Northern nation – the castle.   

 

**_________________________________________________________ **

 

 

   Haruka is angry. Why? Well, Matsuoka and Yamazaki has him really pissed off (Yesterday, Nagisa had persuaded him into calling them by their first names, but he won’t any more. That’s for sure). Of course Haruka made a mistake by going into the woods at night, but neither of them seemed to care that he came out from it alive and instead, that Matsuoka-guy only brought up that and other senseless things just to yell at Haruka. Seriously, whenever that guy is boiling with anger he just has to let it out on everyone like he just did now and Haruka can’t fucking stand it.  

   Haruka is confused as well. Matsuoka told him he’d made everything more difficult for Yamazaki. What the hell was that about? He knows little to nothing regarding Yamazaki and in fact, he has only shared a couple sentences with him. What is he mad about? That Haruka had left Yamazaki alone that night after the banquet? What bullshit!    

   But most of all: Haruka is terrified. Terrified of what happened earlier this morning – and maybe even more terrified by the thought of what’s going to happen to him.

   All this time, hell, even before the holy ritual, all the elves anticipated that Haruka shall kill these so-called Shadows, those _beasts_. Are they really expecting him to just go ahead and finish off horrifying monsters like that? The one he saw was according to Makoto ‘small’ and ‘just a scout’ and it scared the shit out of him. That ‘small scout’ was about to kill him right there and then and he’s supposed to fight bigger things like that with a _sword_?  

   He’s been feeling like everything’s about to collapse ever since what happened in the woods. Surprisingly, he did get some sleep afterwards, but it was filled with frightening nightmares that he doesn’t have any memories of.   

   This world… He really had just dived right into a mess when agreeing to come here that day outside of the grocery shop…  

   That’s right, what had happened that day in March? It was just a normal, boring, lonesome Sunday. He remembers something about how he had been irritated by a newspaper. Now, his anger leans clearly towards something else, something more _deadly_. It already feels like an eternity since he spent his life in that tiny house in Iwatobi.   

   _‘At times, your life may seem to be at stake. However, we shall do anything it takes to take care of your soul and your comfort, until the very day our contract of agreement has expired.’_ He remembers that standing in the contract just now. What had he been thinking when accepting the title as the Holy Guardian?

   Was it wrong of him to come here?

   “Rin-chan was overreacting just now,” Nagisa says and abruptly interrupts Haruka’s thoughts. “But Haru-chan, don’t take it personally! He’s probably just very scared of what happened.”   

   The un-replied words hangs in the chill air as they’re walking. The fog from yesterday is still visible. Grey skies are gazing down at them and there are only a few passersby. Haruka won’t take Nagisa’s explanation as an excuse. If someone is scared, it’s still not fair to let it out over others like that!    

   It takes a painfully long while walking to the plaza where Haruka took his firsts steps on elvish ground. The place looks completely different now when it’s empty of people, instead of being cramped with a chanting crowd.  

   The blood-red castle is still as mighty looking as ever and Haruka can’t help but admire it. As they approach the colossal building, Rei exchanges a few words with the guards by the entrance, something about how this is an urgent matter to the king. Haruka isn’t really paying attention however, his mind is currently somewhere else. That is until Rei replies to something with a different tone.

   “Eh? Alright, I see… Then, will it be possible to escort us to Amakata Miho-san?”

   “What do we do now?” Nagisa asks Makoto in a whisper.

   “Amakata will take care of it, and it won’t take long for king Mikoshiba to arrive… hopefully.”

   Haruka figures that means the king isn’t here.

   One of the things Makoto had taught Haruka a few days ago was that in every nation there is a castle solely in purpose for the royal family. They travel a lot across the nations and live in these castles, but not always together.   

   The guards were hesitant at first before letting them in and shortly a couple of others are guiding them through the building. As they step in, they view the inside that is even more beautifully decorated and pleasing for the naked eye. Haruka observes gigantic paintings of extremely detailed drawn blooms hanging on the walls. They walk past statues made of shiny material worth admiring. Haruka wonders how long it took to build this entire thing. It’s like the castle in itself is art.  

   Apparently, Makoto and Nagisa has never been here before. Only Rei has walked on the castle’s ground regarding his position as the president of the Northern nation’s student council.

   They go through many halls and rooms, until they’re lead into a tinier office. Here, a group of adults are seated on the floor around a long table. The walls are painted in a dark color, and the air filled with smoke. All the people here carries serious faces and it seems like they have interrupted a meeting. Amakata notices the teenagers standing by the entrance as soon as the guards had opened the door and excuses herself as she exists the room along with the visitors. They go to a big-spaced hallway decorated with something that looks like a million plants.                  

   She must have known they didn’t come here just for simple chatter, for her usual joyful and lighthearted mood is instead deadly serious.   

   There is no time to waste and they tell her what happened right at the spot. Haruka had felt dreaded by the thought of repeating everything for a second time and he doesn’t know how, but Makoto must have seen this, for he gives Haruka a reassuring look before speaking for him. Haruka sinks his shoulders and watches as he tells about it all, both from Haruka’s and his own perspective.  

   Haruka looks down at the gleaming floor. As the two are reliving the experience through Makoto’s words, Haruka feels the crushing guilt pound him down to the shiny stone material. When he’s almost done, Haruka averts his gaze up again. Amakata doesn’t seem shocked or confused, but she shoots a short glance at Haruka. She didn’t say anything, but Haruka gets the feeling that the sight of him was… scary. She wasn’t frightened right? No, she’s probably only disappointed in him.     

   “Rei,” Amakata speaks and Rei automatically straightens his back at the call. “I’ll count on you to make sure the king is informed of this immediately, send out messengers and he should be here in ten days.”   

   “Yes!”

   “Our priority is bringing that Shadow down. I ask of you not to spread this message to other students until further notice. We shall rather inform them to be careful in a calm matter than initiating distress.”

   With that, Rei nods as he grabs Nagisa’s hand and they walk off.

   Amakata turns to Makoto, and even though she is speaking to the both of them, she doesn’t look at Haruka at all, as if he’s not there.  

   “You two shall attend a meeting with the king as soon as he has arrived. As the royalty, it’s always required of him to converse between the Holy Guardian and create future plans. Only, it seems like that meeting will be held much earlier than usual…”  

   “Wait, I’ll join too?” Makoto asks.

   “Yes, it’s necessary with a witness,” Amakata replies, and to Haruka’s surprise, she suddenly turns gloomy. “Otherwise… I’m sad to say that an audience with king Mikoshiba would be impossible…”

   Makoto doesn’t say anything, but Haruka hears the harsh air escaping through his nostrils.  

   For the first time in a while, Amakata finally meets Haruka’s gaze.

   “Nanase Haruka will have to be examined by a professional. If you choose to cooperate it should be–”

   “That is not necessary!” Makoto interrupts, rather loudly for him to be.

   Amakata looks back at him, seeming nearly offended. A few seconds of silence pass. Haruka is unsure why Makoto reacted that way as well, the regret of his tone is evident in his eyes.

   “Excuse me Tachibana,” Amakata resumes with creased eyebrows. “What did you say?”

   Makoto gulps. “What I mean is that there’s no need to go any further with examination then what is already done.”

   “Done by a student, you mean,” Amakata says and now Haruka is not the only one receiving skeptical looks. “I’m sorry to say that is not fairly enough, Tachibana.”

   Haruka views their discourse not understanding half of it. By examined, are they talking about how Makoto had searched for any marks of the Shadow on Haruka’s upper body after that encounter? If that’s it, then why is Makoto so against it? Or does the examination include something else when done by one of these ‘professionals’…?

   “Oh? What do we have here?”

   A stranger voice comes from behind them. Haruka barely gets to turn around to get a view of the source of it before a teenager, being a tiny bit shorter than him, abruptly clinches his arm around his shoulders.    

   “Whoa, you’re the Holy Guardian aren’t ya? Like the chosen one!”

   Haruka takes a step back by the sudden gesture invading his personal space, yet the boy continues clinging onto him. He looks down at him while Amakata and Makoto are silenced and simply watches in surprise.  

   The boy is wearing an exceedingly expensive-looking attire of light yellow haori and white hakama. His hair is in the color of persimmon and his eyes are golden. In other words, his presence is a bright-colored view.   

   “Ha-ha! Your ears are so small! How cute!”   

   He gives Haruka a long look from top to toe and Haruka tries to shake himself free. Who the fuck is this guy? How childish and obnoxious, Haruka thinks to himself. Who does he think he is to just interrupt and invade others like this?

   “Prince Mikoshiba!” Amakata exclaims. She and Makoto instantly bows and Haruka is taken aback by the title she had called him. He directs his glance to the boy again – the _prince_.     

   He is shocked to say the least, he didn’t expect to see a royal family member here. Wait, Haruka thinks, if the prince is here, then why isn’t the king present as well? Instead of pondering, he tries to collect himself from not bursting out of annoyance. He swiftly moves himself away from Prince Mikoshiba’s grip and the boy is clearly not taking rejection well as his expression turns soppy.    

   Judging by the others’ behavior, Haruka figures the best thing to do is to act formal and humble, so he bows down and greets the prince with his usual monotone voice.   

   “Hey, what’s with humans and being so deadpan, huh?” is Prince Mikoshiba’s only response. Haruka doesn’t take that as an insult, but he thinks this surely is one kind of a person who wearies him.     

   “Prince Mikoshiba,” Amakata says firmly. “I urge of you not to stand close to Nanase, we were just about to send him in for a human examination.” 

   “What? This guy?” the prince ask and raises an eyebrow. He takes a look at Haruka again, this time scanning him with his eyes even more obnoxiously.

   Nobody is moving and Amakata’s words pierces through Haruka’s mind. Is she really suspecting him for being a… one of those?    

   Then, Prince Mikoshiba leans backwards and says: “Nah, he’s not a faker. I’d know. Fakers have these distant-looking eyes and they act way more awkwardly. I say it would be a waste of time to send him to another nation for nothing, really.”

   Now Haruka is the one gulping. So, she meant they were going to send him to another nation? What does this examination contain that requires him to be sent away? Haruka doesn’t say anything, but his head is exploding with questions.  

   “Your highness, if I may, I do not think you are aware of the situation. This human was spotted by a Shadow just last night.”

   “Really? And he got away unharmed?” Prince Mikoshiba claps his hands and talks even louder. “Ha-ha! That’s the Holy Guardian for you!”   

   “But we don’t know if he actually–“

   “If he was a faker, he’d look a lot more different now that I am here.”

   With that, Haruka feels even more uncomfortable, but what makes his stomach ache an even worse feeling is seeing how Makoto is completely blank of any expression.  

   “…Are you telling me to cancel the plan?”

   “Yeah, my good-old brother would agree with me. You remember last time’s mistake better than me, right?”  

   _Last time?_

   Amakata is hesitant at first, but then she bows.

   “As you wish, Prince Mikoshiba.”

   She sighs, before telling Makoto and Haruka that they’ll have to wait at least a week to know for sure when the meeting with the king will be held. “Tutors will soon be out to hunt down the Shadow,” she says, then she goes off, back to the room where they found her.  

   As soon as she’s out of sight, Prince Mikoshiba pats Haruka on the back.  

   “You better thank me for that, Nanase, I just saved you from something real _dark_.”

   Haruka has yet to feel amused by this prince’ behavior, especially since he won’t move away from him. Makoto however, bends down in a bow.

   “Thank you, Prince Mikoshiba,” he says – his voice has been serious all morning, even now. “It is truly an honor to stay by your presence.”  

   The childish grin on Prince Mikoshiba’s face weakens as he nods back. Just now, he’d talked about a faker’s appearance as if he’s seen one before. Even though he looks young and acts silly, Haruka senses some tragedy behind his smile.    

   Finally, Prince Mikoshiba takes a step away from Haruka and plays with his fingers with some red flower petals of a plant in the corner of the hall.   

   “I was actually listening to your whole conversation earlier,” he says, his voice is deeper. “It’s some scary stuff, and I’m really impressed that you’re even alive.”

   He shouldn’t be impressed by _them_ , he should be impressed by Makoto, Haruka thinks, but he doesn’t protest aloud.     

   As he thinks this, the prince looks at Haruka and moves in closer again.

   “Hmmm or maybe you are a faker after all,” he mumbles. Haruka’s shoulders tenses. “You show so little emotions… Even less emotions than Yamazaki, though I guess he has a pretty good reason to not smile whenever I’m around.”

   He says this, but his mischievous grin is all over his face.

   “Haru,” Makoto says sharply and takes a step to the side. “I think it’s time to go.”              

   Haruka thinks so too. He bows out of courtesy before joining Makoto.

   “Hey, maybe we’ll meet again when my brother gets here!” Prince Mikoshiba says after them and those words are stuck in Haruka’s mind until they reach the entry gate and head outside.   

   The sun casts brightness from the sky, but grey clouds surrounds it, reminding the world that light never lasts forever. They are on their way to the dojo. While Haruka is tired from stress and the lack of sleep, everything would feel even more horrible and pointless if he doesn’t do something productive like training. The weather is not too chill and the atmosphere peaceful, yet Haruka can feel Makoto’s tense mood as they walk side by side, down the slope. Guilt hits Haruka another time, right through his chest. It is the first time in his life that he desperately craves to comfort someone. He wants to assure Makoto that everything is ok, but of course he can’t do that.

   Because even Haruka doesn’t know if everything will turn out well, he doesn’t know what the hell to do about the Shadows, or himself, or Matsuoka, or anything at all. There is still so much for him to learn. He wants to understand why Makoto reacted the way he did when talking to Amakata about the examination, but at the same time, he doesn’t think questioning that will make Makoto feel any better.   

   After walking in silence for something that feels like decades, they eventually come closer the dojo. The feeling of guilt is still making knots all around his chest and stomach, and Haruka figures he should make an attempt of getting rid of them.  

   “Makoto.” He doesn’t react like he’d usually do. “…We’ll be alright, right?”

   The serious expression on Makoto’s face suddenly disappears. He looks down at Haruka, and his stiff shoulders sinks down. He draws a faint smile and for the first time today, his voice has returned back to the normal, calming tune.

   “Of course we will, Haru.”

   Haruka wanted that exact reaction. They enter the dojo together and continues the day with heavy thoughts.

 

 

   His late grandma used to say that life was all about meeting the right people.

   Haruka has never had anyone he’d consider a real friend before. He doesn’t know if it was the other kids at his old school that would avoid him or vice versa. It felt like there were always people around him anyway, so he never thought much of his lack of social life. But now, when he trains by a presence that doesn’t tire him, when he feels more safe and thankful around a presence for once, he is finally thinking more and more about his grandma’s words. 

   Maybe Makoto is one of those. The ‘right people’.  

   He doesn’t know why, but this is what he ponders about that night, when he’s about to sleep in his cozy bed. Last night, he was in a different place, in a completely different and _dangerous_ situation.

   After the encounter, the darkness in his bedroom feels more threatening and unknown. Sometimes he catches himself thinking he saw something in the corner of his eye, only to be proven wrong after suddenly turning around to see what it was.

   Haruka rearranges himself on the bed and it makes a squeaky sound.  

   Last night, he was about to die, but Makoto saved him.

   And after that, Makoto had seemed so scared and pained. Haruka remembers the warmth from his hands as he’d searched after any possible marks from the Shadow, as well as the short, sudden hug. Makoto was so relieved upon finding out he was ok, and thinking about how much he seems to care about his wellbeing makes Haruka feel the guilt-knots in his body unravel.  

   It is a very corny thought and Haruka is kind of embarrassed by it, but he hopes that means Makoto thinks of him as one of the ‘right people’ as well.  

   He’s still pissed at Rin, confused and scared from the whole situation, but now there’s something that builds up a different emotion. For some reason, the urge of burying his whole body under the blanket bottles up in him, so he does that and falls asleep. Even though the thoughts running in his head are calming in a strange way, his sleep is filled with forgettable, lonely nightmares yet again.       

   When he wakes up he is sure it’s early in the morning as he’s exhausted and struggles to get up, but one glance at the clock and the surprise that the time is far from that and instead long past daytime hits him with evil force.    

   He really has screwed up his sleeping schedule. Fortunately for him however, it is Sunday today, so there will be no training. His stomach is screaming for food so he regrettably skips the morning bath and goes right ahead with making breakfast.  

   Shortly after, Nagisa and Makoto shows up by the door. As he greets them, Haruka remembers all of what he was thinking about last night. This behavior is another thing he needs to get used to. This behavior, to be met by teenagers his age who invites him to hang out, this is what friends do, isn’t it…

   Nagisa happily announces that they are on their way to a tutor for a haircut. There’s not much else to do and any experience in the elves’ land is an experience to learn from, so Haruka joins them.    

   The weather hasn’t changed much from yesterday and the calm scenery really doesn’t match with Haruka’s new-developed mixed feelings from what has been happening recently. Makoto carries dark circles under his eyes and Haruka genuinely worries for him.

   “How did you sleep last night?” Makoto asks.

   Haruka takes it that he didn’t get much sleep. He didn’t sleep well either because of nightmares, and the darkness in his room made him so jumpy it took a long time for him to fall unconscious. Nevertheless, he replies with that he slept good enough. As he had guessed, Makoto looks a bit happier from the answer.    

   Apparently, this tutor they are heading towards is excellent at giving the students proper haircuts and it’s common for them to visit her when needed. It is all free of charge as well.       

   “I asked Rin-chan if he wanted to come along, I mean his hair is so long, though I guess it suits him... Anyway, I suspect he prefers when Sou-chan cuts his hair instead! And I’m certain it’s the same way for Sou-chan, he-he!”   

   When they arrive at the tutor’s resident, she is thrilled to have the Holy Guardian visit him and excitedly talks about cutting his hair and says she’s simply happy to see him tag along with his new friends to their session.

   That word sticks onto Haruka’s mind. _‘Friends’_.

   Nagisa is the first one out. The others watches over him and the progress. The results are indeed admirable and though his hair is shorter, it still has a fluffy volume. Haruka is next. He hasn’t really paid much attention to the hair that is covering his ears until now. Actually, as he watches the woman do her job through the mirror, he comes to the conclusion that he wouldn’t mind if his hair were to grow a bit longer, but he doesn’t dwell on the thought for too long and is taken back into reality pretty soon when his hair is done. Then it’s Makoto’s turn and this time Nagisa and Haruka decides to leave the tutor’s work alone.      

   The two sit in the kitchen and Nagisa naturally talks about his boyfriend. He wonders aloud whether Rei will like his new haircut or not. He also mentions that Rei has been talking a lot with different tutors since yesterday in regards with the Shadow that attacked Haruka and Makoto. All he knows from those meetings is that other students has been informed not to go outside at night. Other than that, they haven’t heard anything about anyone spotting the Shadow.    

   “Mako-chan told me prince Mikoshiba himself appeared before you at the castle yesterday,” Nagisa says. Both of them are holding their each cup of hot, sweet liquid made by the tutor herself. Sometimes Nagisa will free one of his hands from the grip around the cup to feel his newly shaped hair. “Not only is it so cool that you met him! But I’m relieved as well… If it wasn’t for him then… then Ama-chan-sensei would’ve sent you away…”

   He casts a worried gaze at his drink, before taking a quick sip.

   Haruka grabs this opportunity to find out more about this examination before his chance slips away.

  “Was Yamazaki ever examined?” he asks.

   Nagisa’s body jerks and he almost spills the hot liquid over his body, but luckily steadies himself and places the cup down on the table. Now he doesn’t look worried anymore, but his creased eyebrows and parted lips exposes a much deeper and tragic feeling.

   “…I don’t know what would happen to me if I told you about Sou-chan’s first year here…”

_First year? Does that mean the examination lasted for that long?_

   “You mean Yamazaki wouldn’t like it?” Haruka asks.   

   “No, not him…”

   That sounds bad. Really bad. Haruka would be disappointed at the answer, but if the situation is as serious as the others make it out to be, then he understands why Nagisa won’t say anything.  

   Come to think of it, Yamazaki was only ten years old when he was chosen as the Holy Guardian. _A ten year old_. Haruka still doesn’t know a single thing about how he has served the elves. What happened to that little kid seven years ago? If he was examined then that’s one thing Haruka is aware of. Other things he knows is that Yamazaki wears that black fabric covering his arm that Haruka suspects hides a scar – or even worse, a mark from a Shadow. The last thing he knows is that his soul is bonded with Matsuoka’s.   

   Matsuoka… That’s right… He’s able to see Yamazaki’s soul and that might have concerned others when they found out. Nagisa and Rei were almost desperate when they warned Haruka about all this soulmate-nonsense. So, did they think Yamazaki was a faker because of Matsuoka and then sent him away?

   Only a few seconds of silence passes, yet Haruka feels a million puzzle pieces placing together in his head.

   “But…” Nagisa resumes. “I think Sou-chan wants you to know about his and Rin-chan’s past…”   

   Simultaneous with Nagisa’s words, Makoto peacefully enters the kitchen. Haruka peeks up from his seat and immediately feels weird. Their earlier serious conversation vanishes like the damp from their hot drinks.  

   Like with the other two, the tutor truly did a good job with Makoto’s hair. The nape is more exposed and his pointy ears are visible, his hair is far away from shaggy and his fringe doesn’t reach down to his eyes anymore. Somehow, it’s like his face is clearer to the world, even though the transformation was small and simple, it must be impossible for everyone not to admire it.    

   “Do you like it?”

   Haruka quickly averts his eyes and realizes he’s been staring. He doesn’t know what to say, or rather, he knows _exactly_ what to say, but he could never let anyone hear that. 

   “Wow, it really suits you, Mako-chan!” Nagisa compliments and Haruka mentally offer his gratitude to Nagisa for leading the conversation. Makoto rubs his neck and laughs bashful.

   “Thank you, I guess I’ll need some time to get used to it, but I think so too.” 

   Haruka gets up from his seat without thinking. He doesn’t know what to say, but he feels like he should say _something_ , so he eventually says, without giving a glance at Makoto: “It’s nice.” Makoto smiles, he doesn’t look as tired as he did earlier today.   

   Shortly after, they offer their thanks to the tutor before exiting the house.

   Just as Makoto opens the door and they’re about to head out, a boy almost crashes into the door.

   “ _Ah!_ ” Makoto exclaims and hastily stops opening the door halfway right before the boy. The latter seems even more flustered however.  

   “E-Excuse me!”

   The boy nearly stumbled down on the doormat, but steadies himself before any harm is done. He is holding something that looks like a box in the color of pink with a strong grip, seemingly afraid for it to fall free from his hands. He is short, perhaps around Nagisa’s height, and he’s owner of grey, short hair that is long enough to almost cover his eyes.  

   Without shooting a glance at the people he’d stumble across, he immediately bows down and apologizes, even though they were the ones almost hitting him with the door while he hadn’t done anything.  

   “Nitori-chan!” Nagisa outbursts and the called one finally looks up and is just as surprised as Nagisa upon seeing him.

   “Nagisa-kun, Tachibana-kun,” he replies shocked and shifts his gaze between them, until he stops at Haruka and freezes still.   

  “Nice to see you here, Aichirou,” Makoto says with the usual sincere tune of his. “I’m sorry, you almost fell there…  You’re cutting your hair as well today?”  

   The boy Makoto had called Aichirou slowly fixates his gaze away from Haruka to Makoto and nods.   

   “Mm,” he answers. His shocked expression fades away and he holds his hands out to present the box he’s carrying. “And this time I decided to give her some food I made as thanks,” he continues and Nagisa gasps.

   “How sweet of you!”  

   Makoto turns to a slightly confused Haruka.

   “Haru, this is Aichirou,” he introduces.  

   “Hi.”  

   “Nice to meet you! Ehm, you’re the chosen one, aren’t you?”  

   Haruka stays silent for a brief second, before Makoto answers for him that yes, he is indeed ‘the chosen one’. Aichirou bows again and says it is an honor to meet him. This guy is only being sincere, but Haruka can’t do anything about feeling uncomfortable by these situations.

   Maybe it’s childish of him, but he’s starting to get tired of his silly titles and tired of how everyone looks at him like he’s a saint. He hasn’t done anything to help them, yet stranger elves meet him like this. It feels like the only major thing he has done here is making trouble, so it all feels meaningless.       

   They leave the greeting short and bid their goodbyes. As they make their way, Nagisa finally tells whom they just met.

   “I know Nitori-chan from the Western nation! We lived far away from each other and sadly don’t talk much anymore, so he’s more of an acquaintance.”

   Makoto hasn’t talked much, until he mentions somebody and Haruka pays close attention.

   “I have another friend here who grew up along Rin and I in the Southern nation, he trains to become a guard, so unfortunately we rarely get to meet him. His name is Kisumi!”  

   Kisumi… huh. Haruka doesn’t understand why anyone would want to become a guard. For instance, the guards standing outside can’t possibly have the time of their lives just standing still doing nothing. This Kisumi-guy may have a different mindset than Haruka.

   “Oh, Kisumi-chan! Isn’t that the guy who’s so good at karuta?”

   Makoto chuckles.

   “Yes, that’s him!”

   “You have karuta here?” Haruka asks feeling rather surprised.

   “Of course! We play it sometimes! Rei-chan sucks at it, he always has to stop and _‘take in how beautiful it is’_.” As Nagisa says the last words, he imitates Rei’s deeper voice and pretends to push his air-glasses further up his nose.  

   Lighthearted chatter. This is probably the only thing Haruka has truly grown used to during his short time in the elves’ land. He doesn’t want to get used to evil monsters and annoying people.  

   A week passes without Haruka going to the dojo once. Even though he knows deep inside that no matter what, he needs to get used to the difficult stuff as well, he is happy to spend the week ignoring the things bugging him.

   Perhaps that’s what’s important right now, to just ignore the annoying and scaring stuff. He’s good at that. And it’s for the best.    

 

 

**_________________________________________________________ **

 

 

 

   Instead of training martial arts at the dojo, Makoto happily received the proposal from Rei to focus on history lessons for Haru. The others would continue their usual exercise, while Makoto visited Haru to teach him more regarding the world of the elves. The subject they talked around the most was the life in the different nations and Makoto shows and tells with help from the books that Haru’s house keeps.     

   The Northern nation is currently the smallest because of the Shadows being in control further up north, leading to their land circling around the elves’ kingdom. The royal family decides who will live here, and as soon as one is recruited, they will most likely spend their whole lives as a northerner. Some of the northerners grow up to become tutors, others as guards that may guard the borders, though sometimes, people over the age of twenty-six may receive the approval of moving to another nation. Makoto secretly hopes for a future outside this place, but he hasn’t told anyone about that, until he admits to it in front of Haru in one of their lessons.  

   “If you want to get out of here, then you should hold on to that dream, shouldn’t you?”

   His words had sounded more annoyed rather than concerned, and Makoto has picked up on how Haru tries to comfort him sometimes. Makoto had just tried to show him he’s grateful for Haru motivating him with a soft look, and he’s glad to know Haru understands him using no words, just like Makoto can with him.   

   He then told him about the Western nation – Nagisa’s home – which is safer than ever as it is surrounded by a new, artificial river. They live mostly by fishing and farming there and the nation is great at providing food for the elves around the world. One time at lunch, Nagisa told Haru about his happy childhood at home. He misses his farm and all the – cute, had Nagisa included – animals.     

   He had also told about Rei’s home. He is from the Eastern nation, where enormous rows of mountains finds place. Those mountains are shielding fabrics and the inhabitant’s homes. It is also said that’s where they produce electricity, though it’s uncertain if that electricity goes to more places than just simply to Haruka’s house. The plant kingdom in the Eastern nation isn’t as wealthy there, as many of the trees have been taken without any new ones being seeded. There’s desert further south, being a completely different climate than any other nation.   

   Makoto gives Haru a spectacular impression of his home, but to be fair, he has a good reason. The Southern nation is known for being the safest. There are heavy restrictions for citizens to come and go as they please over the border, yet it is the nation yielding the majority of the population of the elves. It holds the best of universities and other infrastructures.   

   Haru is a good student, he’s always attentive and Makoto is incredibly grateful for the tutors letting him educate him. He also never hesitates when asking questions, one of them being, “Why can’t you just build a wall to block the Shadows away from your homeland?” In which the answer is that it would never work. The Shadows can climb any wall no matter how tall with no trouble, as their mystical body works nothing like the elf nor the human’s.

   However, Shadows fear water. No one knows why, but nobody has ever recorded, in known history, seeing any Shadows cross water. The Southern nation – and now as well the Western – is safe from the monsters mainly thanks to the broad rivers surrounding the nation.  

   One time, as they are finished with one of their lessons, Haru asks Makoto another question that came completely out of the blue.

   “Where’s your queen?”

   Puzzled, Makoto looks back at him.

   “Huh? Sorry, could you repeat that?”

   “Your queen or, the king’s mother. I’ve never heard of her. Where is she?”

   It takes Makoto a few seconds to comprehend the meaning behind Haru’s words.  

   “We don’t have a queen,” he says, leaving Haru in confusion.    

   Makoto knows what he must be wondering. As a human, Haru must be expecting every elf to have a mother. He doesn’t say anything, but his eyes speaks for Makoto. _What?_

   Makoto has a hard time accepting that he is the one who ultimately has to have this conversation with Haru.

   “Ah well,” he says, looking away. “All the Holy Guardians must have been curious about similar things at one point, Sousuke was as well.”

   “What do you mean?” Haru asks. Makoto looks back at him.

   “The king and his brother doesn’t have mother. They never had.” When Haru only blinks in bewilderment, Makoto continues. “The humans’ bodies are build differently and without magic, therefore they can’t be born by magic alone, however, elves can.”

   “’Born by magic’?”

   Makoto cringes. Why hasn’t anyone told him this before?! Now Makoto has to tell him!  

   “You see, not everyone has a soulmate. Though it is a very rare case, some people never find nor seek someone who’s bonded with their soul. If an elf doesn’t have a soulmate or their soulmate is of the same gender as them, then, ehm, their only solution to reproduce is through using very complicated formulas.”

   It almost doesn’t seem like Haru believes him. He leans is body on one leg and says nothing. The blood in Makoto’s veins has rushed to his face, yet he continues speaking.

   “Ah, actually, Rin’s mother used those formulas to give birth! So both Rin and his sister, Gou, are born by magic.”

   “Then… How does that work?”

   “You mean, how they’re born from magic?”

   Haru nods.

   “Well, there are only a few who have mastered the formulas to create life and they all work as midwives. It’s said it is a difficult process for the parents too. I’m not sure about the details myself, but what I know is that they don’t carry the child in their womb. Instead, they are born from the earth.”

   A long second passes before Haru asks bewildered, “Some babies are born from the earth?”    

   “Yes.”

   For the first time ever, Makoto senses a hint of Haru repressing a laugh.

   “So Matsuoka… and the king and his brother are… born from dirt?”

   He remembers how Sousuke had a similar reaction as Haru when he first heard about this. This has always been a granted fact in Makoto’s life, so he doesn’t quite understand how they can find it so strange, but he can’t help but smile at Haru’s amusement right now.

   “You think it’s funny?”

   In a snippet of a second, Haru straightens his back and hides away his grin.

   “Sorry.”

   It’s not before a couple of hours after their conversation, when Makoto is alone, that he thinks back on it and quietly laughs at Haru’s expression when receiving the information.

   Days passes and despite their share of lighthearted moments, Makoto’s week has frankly been terrible.   

   It’s more difficult to sleep than ever and he can’t stand it. Every evening he dreads the inevitable sleeplessness and there has to be light inside his bedroom, otherwise he feels like he’s about to go mad. The dark has always scared him and it has already gotten worse now that he’s reminded of what sparked his fear.  

   His worst fear… the Shadows… he can never let go of what happened that night one week ago.

   Being with Haru helps a lot, but even the thoughts about him can be stressful sometimes, or rather, Makoto feels almost guilty when he’s with him. It feels unfair of him to know how Haru’s soul looks like, to see when it makes small jumps as he talks to him, to know that they are true soulmates, without Haru having any idea of it. He has already lied to Haru even, when Nagisa asked him if he had a soulmate, he’d been thrown aback and said ‘no’. Heavy guilt knots tangle in his chest and he doesn’t know if they’ll ever unravel.  

   Another thing Makoto knows is that someone has to teach Haru about what Sousuke did during his first year as the Holy Guardian. That someone, should probably be Sousuke himself, but both him and Rin has distanced themselves from everybody lately, which is a bit concerning to Makoto.

   Now, it’s morning, the air is getting warmer and the nature is truly about to bloom. The Northern nation is finally bracing itself for the final month of spring.  

   Makoto was just returning from a shower and cleaning his room in the barracks, when strangely, someone knocks on the door. It is strange, for no tutor would knock on the door this early on a Saturday, and there would be no reason for any other student living here to get in touch with him. Makoto gets up from a crouching position and opens the door.  

   When he has opened it, he is surprised to see Haru standing there.

   “Haru?”

   “…Good morning.”

   He is wearing his usual human-clothes. A royal blue jumper and black jeans. Sometimes during the lessons they have had, Haru would shoot in with some facts from his home world, that were either in contrast or similarity with the culture of the elves. The human’s modern attire are one of the newer things the elves hasn’t caught up on.   

   “Good morning,” says Makoto, feeling genuinely happy to see him.   

   This is the first time Haru has showed up here after he was first introduced to the barracks. Even though Makoto is surprised at the visit, he has an idea of why he is here.  

   “I just thought we’d go together today.” Haru fixates his gaze at the room behind Makoto.       

   “Oh, right,” Makoto replies, before he takes a step back and smiles. “Please come in, it’s still a bit early to go yet.”

   Haru excuses himself and walks inside. It’s silly, but Makoto feels a bit weird having him here.

   They are meeting the king today. After almost a week, Amakata had informed them that the meeting would happen on this day. Makoto was evidently nervous upon hearing that, maybe Haru noticed it and therefore decided to come over? Either way, his unpredictable visit warms Makoto’s heart. It’s kind of adorable.

   “Your room’s similar to Nagisa and Rei’s,” Haru points out.

   “Yeah, they all are.”

   Haru looks in the mirror standing by the door and its reflection. Makoto does the same.

   Green and blue.

   For the very first time, the two colors are laid before him clearly. The two glowing suns are floating before them. Two cold colors, yet it warms Makoto’s heart, but at the same time, a feeling of guilt wells inside of him. The fact that he’s the only one seeing this is a lonely one, and a part of Makoto wants to scream out the thoughts roaming in his mind when viewing the bonded souls.

   But he’s too scared. Haru looks away before he gets the chance, and instead paces around the tiny room.   

   “I’m not sure how I should prepare myself,” he says. His sentences are always short, and even though he won’t always elaborate on his words, Makoto can always figure out what he means.

   “You will have to tell him everything we’ve already told Amakata and the others,” Makoto says and views the blue soul float about in the room. Haru’s fingertips lightly strokes the dull curtains by the window. “Other than that, the king might give you orders for tasks you can do for the time being. I will be next to you all the time, and there’s nothing to worry about.”

   “I’m not nervous.”

   “Good,” Makoto says cheerfully, yet he knows Haru is putting up a mask, and there’s a chance Haru knows that he knows, judging by the look he gives him through the reflection on the mirror.  

   “You want to go then?”

   “Better sooner than later, I guess.”  

   Many students pass by as they walk towards the nation’s castle, and painfully many are stealing glances at Haru. Makoto wonders if they did the same when Haru went to the barracks, maybe the staring was even worse as he was alone…

   It was necessary to share the news about the encounter with the Shadow to the people of the nation and students have been ordered not to go out alone at night. Makoto fears Haru loses his popularity because of that. Still, some kids wave at them carrying wide smiles, evidently happy to see the Holy Guardian. Makoto wants to focus on those people instead, and he hopes Haru does as well.  

   It’s nearing ten o’clock and this time, Amakata meets them outside by the castle’s doors. Makoto has always held high respect towards Amakata, but a part of him is bitter and wary. After all, she did want to send Haru to what she’d called an ‘examination’. Amakata knows what those things do to people, and Makoto was shocked to see her not blinking an eye when she’d talked about it. He wonders if she really suspected Haru of being a faker, and if she still does.   

   Makoto wants to stand closer to Haru, he would do anything – hold his hand even – to reassure him that he’s by his side, but Makoto doesn’t do anything.

   They only share a few short words with Amakata before the guards let them in. This is the second time Makoto has walked between the castle’s walls and the stunning inside hasn’t changed one bit since last time. They reach the heart of the castle, where guards check through their clothes for any possible hidden weapons. When that is finished, the guards open the doors to a huge chamber. Makoto fidgets with his fingers and his mouth is suddenly dry, he has only seen the king maybe two times and that was from very far away and now _this_ is happening.         

   The guards leads them in and if the other parts of the castle wasn’t amazingly decorated with treasures enough then this room surely is. The floor is covered in patterned rugs and a female servant is grooming flowers hanging from the wall. The king sits on an exceedingly big throne at the other side of the room across the new visitors. His clothes looks heavy with the extremely detailed accessories and attire, and a holster bearing a sword hangs from a belt around his waist. Beside him stands his elderly consultant and five guards, all of them appearing to be very diverse in age, and beside them, the prince is standing, eyeing at the young servant watering the flowers.   

   As they close in and hear the doors shut behind them, Amakata bows and Makoto and Haru follows her movement.  

   “King Mikoshiba Seijuro and Prince Mikoshiba Momotarou, we are humbled to be at your presence,” says Amakata. “We were informed an audience with your majesty would occur here at this current time, please lead us.”

   King Seijuro isn’t smiling. In fact, it doesn’t look like he’s in a good mood at all. He’s leaning his chin on his palm, only looking at Haru.

   “Please come up here, I want to properly greet you.”

   It’s obvious he’s talking to Haru, still, Makoto feels confused by the behavior and sees that Haru is the same when sharing hesitant glances. Haru obeys wordlessly nonetheless, and goes to the king, his light footsteps loud on the stone floor that isn’t covered in rug. There’s silence in the room, everyone viewing the human, Makoto, Amakata, the prince and the king, even the servant and the guards. He walks in and King Seijuro stands up.

   Before anyone can grasp it, Seijuro suddenly draws his sword out of his holster and takes a step towards Haru – _fast_. Haru instantly stops his steps as King Seijuro places the blade dangerously near his throat. Haru’s breath hitches as he freezes still – King Seijuro locking him with his other arm so there’s no chance of escape.   

   “Haru–!”     

   Makoto is about to run towards the scene, but Amakata stops him and one of the guards has their hands on the sword when noticing Makoto’s sudden movement. Hopelessly, Makoto watches the king threatening Haru with his blade standing still.  

   King Seijuro is taller than Haru and pierces a tough glare through Haru’s eyes. A few seconds passes as he scans him. Makoto thinks of every possible thing to do if the king shows any sign of hurting Haru, but deep down, he realizes there’s nothing he can do.  

   Makoto wants to scream in protest, but just as he’s about to, King Seijuro withdraws and places the sword in his holster, looking satisfied from something.    

   “Nanase Haruka. I’ve heard a lot about you, and I suppose you’re aware of who I am, so there isn’t much need for introductions.”  

   It takes a moment for Haru to fully grasp the withdrawal, before he says, “I think that just now was one hell of an introduction.”   

   King Seijuro’s lined lips makes a jerking movement, before he blurts out a laughter.  

   “Sorry, sorry,” he says and the earlier serious manner is gone. “I was looking for any hate in your eyes, in case my lil’ brother miscalculated the situation, but the only emotion I saw in your deadpan eyes was fear.”  

   If there were any evident emotions in Haru’s eyes now, it probably wouldn’t be amusement after hearing that.

   “Hey, I told you you shouldn’t doubt my instincts!” prince Momotarou says and goes closer to his brother.

   “Better to be on the safe side, you know that,” King Seijuro replies to his brother, before returning to his guests.  

   He proposes to start their meeting in a more ‘private’ room, and thus they walk deeper into the castle, along with a few guards, the quiet, old consultant and the chatty prince. The meeting room they enter seems to be the place where Amakata had been discussing something with other people the other day. Now Makoto only senses himself getting more nervous. Important tutors and leaders use to sit here discussing important matters – the opposite type of people from whom Makoto is.   

   They sit around a round table, looking to be five meter wide, except from the elderly man being the king’s consultant who stands behind King Seijuro. Soon both Haru and Makoto tells the king the exact story of what happened when they encountered the Shadow one week ago. King Seijuro must have heard the story already, but he listens quietly until they’re finished nonetheless. When they’re done, Amakata turns to the king, who tells him something neither Makoto or Haru was aware of.     

   “Last night a scouting group led by the former fighter Gorou Sasabe spotted the seen Shadow and exterminated it,” she says. “That one is no longer a threat.”  

   Both Makoto and Haru is left wide-eyed. _They took it! What a relief!_

   Prince Momotarou excitedly shoots in, “Oh! And I was there! Saw the whole thing! That Gorou-tutor really made some risky moves; I seriously thought it’d be over for him for a second.”  

   That comment turns the relief to nervousness. Makoto knows that tutor, but just barely. He has only showed up to their training a few times, but he’s not their group’s tutor. Makoto wonders why the prince joined him and the other tutors for the hunt. It’s so dangerous, and they just let him do that? Perhaps Prince Momotarou insisted to be a part of it, but still… He seems to be one to really want to be a part of the… ‘exciting’ stuff…  

   King Seijuro turns to Makoto and Haru again and asks about the Holy Guardian’s training. They tell him about their group – King Seijuro seeming thrilled when hearing Sousuke and Rin’s names – and then Makoto talks about their one-on-one history lessons. Upon hearing that, the king makes a grimace of discontentment that casts a mortifying feeling over Makoto so he stops talking midsentence. King Seijuro quickly takes over.     

   “You should be ashamed, Tachibana, teaching the Holy Guardian _history_ already during his first months.”    

   This just might be the worst thing that could happen to Makoto when meeting the king. He was told to be ashamed… No Shadow could ever make Makoto’s stomach turn like the royalty just did.  

   “If I may interfere, your majesty,” Amakata comments. “Tachibana may have tutored Nanase, but he isn’t in command over the sessions.”

   King Seijuro shifts his disappointed glance at Amakata.

   “Then is it you I shall scold?”

   “Yes, if you wish.”  

   King Seijuro scoots his chair a bit away from the table and gets up.

   “Usually, it takes two-to-three years after we have received the message for whom our next Holy Guardian is before the Shadows’ great attack. That is two-to-three years for the Holy Guardian to prepare themselves for the inevitable happening. Every sixth year, the Holy Guardian grows, but the enemy does as well.”  

   He says this looking down, until he starts pacing around the table behind the others.

   “Their leader is the Core Shadow, it is when we’ve exterminated their current Core Shadow that we can truly be sure we’ve put their era to an end. Of course, we’ve always done that, but of course, that has never been enough to put an end to their existence.”    

   “Our chief goal is to make the Holy Guardian an excellent fighter, that’s what we need. A warrior.” He reaches Haru’s seat and makes eye contact with him.  “And you’re so young, along with me and my brother, I’m certain you have a great potential. You have joined Yamazaki and his little heart mate’s group, and I do approve of their teaching. That’s what you should solely focus on until this era ends. Yamazaki is a good one, too bad I can never change what happened to him.”

   Haru blinks.

   “What do you mean?”  

   “Barely anyone trusted the poor kid. Could you imagine? Yamazaki and that Matsuoka-kid went through so much and my father didn’t even blink an eye.”

   It’s weird to hear the king talk about his father in such a way. Haru seems startled too.

   “What happened?” he asks. 

   Now King Seijuro’s blinking in surprise. 

   “…They never told you?”

   An extremely uncomfortable feeling floods inside of Makoto. He and his friends has been told by tutors to not speak of what happened to Sousuke all those years ago, but here King Seijuro stands, expecting Haru to know it all. What does that mean?

   “Well I suppose it’s a touchy subject. I respect the boy, so I won’t talk too much about it for him.” King Seijuro walks back to his seat and he gives the impression that he’s about to continue talking, but then his consultant behind him suddenly interrupts, with a sharp yet formal tone.

   “Your majesty, may I intervene.” He wears spectacles and a wig that he himself might think is not an obvious wig. “The present is far more valuable than the past. It is smart of the Holy Guardian’s comrades to not speak of certain past events as it is of no importance any further more.”  

   King Seijuro looks back at him, though Makoto’s stomach is warning him of something being wrong, the king nods and agrees with his consultant. 

   “Yes, you said it,” he says. “To live in the present is more important rather than to dwell on the past, it’s something for everyone to remember.”

   Makoto notices how Haru discreetly steals a glance at him. King Seijuro goes to his seat. He doesn’t sit down, but clenches his fist.   

   “The ultimate plan shall be to clear out the nation of all Shadows with the help of our Holy Guardian and then take back our land. After we have succeeded, we will be able to start the construction of a river that is already in production over fifty thousand jōs away from the Western border. That will be the start of the end of the Shadows. We shall overcome them. One by one.”   

   “Amakata, see if you can find the best of tutors to look after Nanase for a few sessions. Other than that Nanase, continue your training every day you can, I’m too impatient to deal with a lazy guardian. Oh – and don’t repeat your mistake from last week.”   

   His strict commands doesn’t match his previous humorous side, but Makoto finally notices how their young king truly suits the role of a leader.   

   With that, King Seijuro dismisses the meeting.

 

 

 

   Afterwards, Haru had asked if Makoto wanted to eat brunch together at his place. Apparently, he finally received his delivery of mackerel a couple days ago, and he said “You haven’t eaten yet, it would be for the best if you got some food so you don’t start whining,” and for the first time in a while, Makoto had a good laugh.

   Now, Makoto is sitting by the kitchen table at Haru’s. He is fidgeting with his fingers and feels a bit weird after the meeting, but when he looks up from his hands and takes in the scenery he’s immediately embraced by the calm sensation.    

   Haru is standing by the oven, wearing a white apron, his glowing soul safe and sound. Makoto tries not to, but he gazes at his back as he’s stirring the pan. Perhaps it’s a weird thought, but the way his shoulders moves is kind of adorable. He realizes he has been staring for too long and stops leaning his head on his palm, trying to focus on the smell of food.

   The whole human-system at the kitchen is quite spectacular and admittedly, Makoto is a bit scared of the oven. One time when they were younger and Sousuke lived here, an elderly elf had helped him with making food, but though they were supposed to know the rules of human technology and help the human, they carelessly burnt themselves when cooking. In the end, it was pointless for Sousuke to learn how to cook with the human tools and they decided Rin would be of help whenever Sousuke would want to make food. Makoto doesn’t remember the last time he attempted to cook, but if he ever did, he would most likely prefer to heat the food using formulas. He asks Haru if he needs any help, but he declines the offer.  

   Haru hasn’t talked much this morning. No actually, he’s never really talkative, but he has been _even more_ silent than usual. Though really, after everything that has happened, it doesn’t surprise Makoto…  

   Wordlessly, Haru places the dish in front of Makoto. It looks very unusual compared to the food he is used to, but it smells amazing. He knows it to be ‘rice’ accompanied with this fish called ‘mackerel’. Haru still isn’t saying anything, but his eyes tells a lot: he truly wants to know if Makoto will enjoy the food or not. Makoto smiles. He won’t say it out loud, but he is excited to taste Haru’s cooking for the first time as well.

   “Thank you for the food,” he says, before grabbing the chopsticks next to the bowl, which he takes up before eating. Haru stares.

 _Oh, it tastes so good!_ It doesn’t have as much of a super-strong flavor that Makoto is used to get from the elves – and he loves it. The fish is tasty too. He hums as he immediately shoves in more. He keeps eating more until he exhales and says, “It’s yummy! Delicious!”

   He catches Haru expressing a tiny smile.

   “I’m glad,” he says and then brings a glass of water from the kitchen counter behind him. He places the glass in front of Makoto and sits across to him. Makoto continues eating, but steals a few glances at Haru sometimes, who is quietly looking out the window.

   This kind of scenario has happened with Makoto before, to sit quietly with only one person, eating their food, listening to the silence. He is careful not to make too much sound with his chopsticks when hitting the bowl. Meanwhile, he wonders, has Haru ever done this with anyone else?

   “Haru,” he says and lays the bowl back on the table. Haru calmly reacts and looks back at Makoto.  

   “Who taught you to cook?”

   It takes a few seconds, before Haru turns back to the window again. “My late grandma.”  

   “I see! She must have been a good teacher.”

   Then it takes even longer, before Haru answers, “She was a good person.”

   What Makoto already knows about Haru’s past is his short period with his family. He also knows that Haru likes to swim and paint, and those things only makes Makoto want to know more.  

    “You… asked me about my past just now,” Haru suddenly says as Makoto eats more of the delicious food.  

   As he finishes chewing, he cocks his head to the side and waits for Haru to elaborate. Haru turns to him again, but looks immediately down after meeting eye contact.

   “Do you want to know about my past?” Of course, yes, is what Makoto wants to answer, but before he gets the chance, Haru continues. “The king’s consultant… he said that to live in the present is more important than to dwell on the past. It seemed like he didn’t want me to know anything about your people’s past, or… about Yamazaki.”   

   The knots in Makoto’s stomach tightens. He places the bowl back on the table and feels like fidgeting with his fingers again.  

   That’s right, the consultant had been very persistent when saying that, and King Seijuro had approved. They don’t want Haru think about the Holy Guardian’s pasts at all.

   “What he said, it might have been somewhat right… to live in the present,” Makoto says.   

   There’s something about Haru’s eyes that flickers, but Makoto doesn’t like it. Haru is obviously irritated at something. Makoto clutches the fabric of his own yukata.

   “Haru, you seem like a person who’s a natural when it comes to focus on the present. Actually, there is a lot of things you are good at.”

   Haru doesn’t turn to Makoto again, but his eyes stays on the other. Makoto isn’t sure if he should continue talking in case he says something weird, but he continues nonetheless.  

   “I… I have never met anyone like you, Haru. As a kid, I thought humans were so different from the elves, but I slowly learned that it is not true at all. Still, unlike anyone I’ve ever met, you’re so unique and brave, despite after everything that has happened. I have a lot to learn from you… But there are things we haven’t properly explained to you. You still don’t know the truth. At the meeting today, they said we should prioritize to live in the present, but… the truth lies in the past and I think it’s only fair that you know that truth, Haru.”  

   It’s not until now that Haru doesn’t break their eye contact and turns to Makoto. 

   “Then tell me the truth,” he says, his hands down on the table. “I want to know everything.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next: Sousuke and Rin


	7. Sousuke and Rin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was beta'd by @criizbastidas on twitter!

 

 

_A nightmare._

_It’s cold. Like winter._

_He’s gone. Away in the darkness._

_Now that he thinks about it, he has always been alone._

_There was a night when it was warm. It felt nice. But then he was gone._

_This feeling has always been here. Perhaps all other feelings are gone, and that’s why he cannot focus on anything else than that one feeling._

_The feeling of being alone._

_There was a word for it, but he cannot make out the letters in his head._

_How long will he have to wait to see him again?_

_He reaches both his hands out. Maybe he can find him. But there is not enough time–_

   He wakes up with tears in his eyes and doesn’t remember a thing.  

 

 

 

  ** _________________________________________________________**

 

   _Scary._ That was what you had thought.     

   They had given this place the name ‘No Man’s Land’ and you quickly understood why.

   _There’s nothing here._

   Two days had passed since you exited the human world. Some kids were a part of the elf pack and they would play and joke around, thrilled to have a new human friend. The way was long, and though the place was scary, you felt a bit thrilled as well.         

   Your name was Sousuke Yamazaki and you were just chosen as one of the legendary Holy Guardians.   

   Well, it was not exactly recently you found out. After all, you did spend a couple of months at home after the holy ritual before the journey. And then you found yourself in this scary place. The elves told you their home is nothing like No Man’s Land, that it is rich with nature and bright life. That was what they had told you, and you believed them.  

  _“You and I are the only ones left among the elves.”_

   A middle-aged woman had spoken to you. They were sitting by a campfire. Nighttime. But there were no stars in the clear, black sky. Yet it was not completely dark; a hue of blue was dancing in the horizon.

_“The Holy Guardians before us murdered elves against their will.”_

   If you had been any older, you would probably be more shocked by the information, but you just looked at the woman in wonder and let the knowledge sink in.

   _“Will it be safer than home?”_ you asked.  

_“No, but you have the chance to make it be.”_

   The wood from the campfire crackled.

   _“Will I be happy there?”_

   _“That is up to you and you only.”_

   You were tired. You rubbed your eyes with your little hands.

_“Are you happy there?”_

   The woman took her time to answer.

   _“We can always find happiness, no matter where we are. We just have to look hard enough. Now, you should go to sleep.”_

   You did as you were told. All the other kids had gone in their tents anyway, so there was not much to do. The next day, you would be in another world. You already felt weird being away from your parents, but there was something inside your chest convincing you that you would be happy in your new home.

   The next morning you woke up to a sunrise. A colossal sunrise that carried you to the hell you had imagined for heaven.   

 

 

 

  ** _________________________________________________________**

 

 

   The best thing about waking up today was the thought about mackerel.

   It’s been almost a month since Haruka arrived here and there has been too many revelations regarding this world already. Yet, despite it all, he doesn’t feel any homesickness. Maybe mackerel used to make him feel at home in Iwatobi – that thought almost makes him want to laugh. Now he has mackerel here, so that alone makes him happy, he thinks.   

   Makoto had liked the taste of it and complimented his cooking the other day. Just that made him happy alone, but he has thought about the other things that happened that day as well. Makoto said some things to him that was quite unexpected, before he told him that he would talk to Yamazaki regarding his rather mysterious past.     

   Other than that… this world is a weird place. When he was younger, tales about the elves’ world sounded always so spectacular and blissful. But, the longer he spends his time living here, the more he realizes that this world is far from the paradise he’d imagined. It almost feels like he’s been tricked, which makes it sound like he’s bitter about being the Holy Guardian. However, that is not true, for there is something in him – an urge – that makes him want to help the people here, making him feel pleased to know that there is something he can do, even though he hasn’t done anything besides making trouble so far.  

   He took a bath in the big bathtub in the morning as usual. It’s been a while since he has gotten the chance to swim – being another soothing activity for the boy – and the craving to feel the water itches more and more as the days pass. The staring from the other students has fortunately decreased. Now they look more bored upon seeing him, which only suits Haruka.

   He walks towards the dojo they use to train in, bokken in hand and wearing old-fashioned training attire. Yamazaki rarely wears modern human clothes so Haruka is the only one to walk normally in his normal clothing. He has realized how comfortable it is to wear yukata at the sessions so he might just make this a habit.  

   It has only been a couple days since he talked with the king. Yesterday, a tutor had come along the training session and made him duel against Yamazaki. His strength is incredible and he is much more stable than how Matsuoka is. It’s only fair to say that Yamazaki had totally crushed Haruka in their battle.

   “Oh! Haru-chan!”

   “Good morning, Haruka-senpai!”

   “Good morning,” he replies to the pair meeting him by the dojo.

   Nagisa and Rei seems to be in their usual joyful mood as they enter the building along with Haruka. Makoto will probably be here soon, he hopes. Before that however, Yamazaki and Matsuoka arrives. It looks like they’ll be without a tutor for today.  

   “I already see improvement in your attacks, or rather, you’re actually catching the chance to attack at all,” Yamazaki says during their session. “Remember, you have to be careful not to lose the already perfect balance you’ve got.”

   Even though he hasn’t shared many conversations with Haruka and despite what happened over a week ago, Yamazaki talks like nothing has happened. Rin on the other hand, hasn’t really given any effort into talking with Haruka. Haruka has tried to ignore him.

   “I don’t get how I’m supposed to kill a Shadow like this,” he confesses. “When I saw one, it seemed like its body was made out of smoke – something impossible to cut.”

   “They have a weak spot, being their dead soul. It’s like a little bead, aim for where you’d think their heart would be, which of course, they don’t have.”

   A part of Haruka is pretty sure Yamazaki said that last part jokingly at first, but his voice was as monotone as ever.  

   He is easily distracted when a familiar figure appears by the entrance, and in comes Makoto. He’s carrying his book and taking off his footwear, wearing green attire and his hair could maybe have some use for combing. When he looks up, he serenely gives Haruka one of his soft smiles.

   “Makoto,” Yamazaki calls. “Why don’t you duel with Nanase?”

   “Eh?”

  Makoto hasn’t even gotten the chance to step in from the genkan before he stops. On top of teaching himself formulas, he has been working out more during the most recent days, but he still hasn’t touched any of the swords hanging on the wall.  

   “If you don’t pick up your training with the sword again you’ll fall too far behind any other student in your class.” When Makoto doesn’t answer right away, Yamazaki adds, “Maybe Nanase will get something out of it as well.”  

   Makoto hesitates. At first, Haruka sincerely believes that he’ll pass the offer, but then Makoto walks over to the other side of the room and grabs a white bokken.

   Nagisa stops bugging Matsuoka with something and pays his attention to Makoto instead – Matsuoka and Rei following his line of sight.  

   “Are you sure he can just jump straight into a duel after so long?” Rei asks.

   “I guess we’ll have to find out,” is all Yamazaki says on that.

   Makoto seems a bit shaky as he stands prepared for the duel across Haruka. Haruka’s not sure why, but he doesn’t feel like dueling against him. He nonetheless raises his bokken, and when Yamazaki gives the signal, he runs ahead and attacks.   

   Makoto responses the attack amazingly, his strength is so great it shocks Haruka. Since he has never seen Makoto train with a sword, he hadn’t expected much, so it’s only fair to say that Makoto’s defense already surprises him at the first lunge. He doesn’t even budge when Haruka tries again – and again.

   Makoto smirks as he says with a low voice, “I’m glad you’re not taking it easy on me.”

   Haruka retreats with a few steps back and grunts. He has never seen this side of Makoto before. Is he actually competitive?   

   He decides to wait for Makoto to attack – that’s when he finds his catch. Makoto reluctantly thrusts the bokken towards Haruka and he easily maneuvers the wooden sword away so it breaks from Makoto’s grip and lands on the floor.

   “Oh heavens,” Nagisa gasps, clapping his hands together. “Haru-chan, you did it!”

   It was an incredible short battle, yet Haruka feels heavy. It’s the first time he has ever beaten an elf in a duel, something he guesses he should be happy about, but something inside of him is scared Makoto will feel discouraged after the loss. After all, all the other elves have beaten Haruka easily.

   “Congratulations, Haru. Your skills are amazing.”

   Contradicting his thoughts, Makoto is still looking relaxed as he bows before Haruka. A warm, silly feeling floods inside of him, yet he tries to ignore it and points out Makoto’s flaw.  

    “You didn’t attack with all you got.”  

   Makoto looks unsure of what to say at first, before he smiles apologetically.

   “You’re right, I’m not used to sword fighting at all, so I really chickened out,” he says as he picks up his bokken. “I thought that if I continued learning formulas instead, then I could silently ignore these training sessions, but maybe I should do as Sousuke says…”

   “I’ve never seen you perform your formulas,” Yamazaki comments. “I stand by that you should resume your combat training, but perhaps you’d make a great fighter using magic alone.”

   “May I remind you all that it’s fully possible for Makoto-senpai to practice more archery,” Rei steps in.  

   “Good idea,” Yamazaki says and looks for Makoto’s opinion, who nods. “Makoto, I recommend you take contact with a tutor and ask for their advice.”

   Haruka wonders about what Rei mentioned: archery. He has sometimes walked past students and tutors carrying unique bows and quivers. What are the archery sessions like?   

   Yamazaki and the others begin resuming their training and Nagisa continues bugging Matsuoka with something.

   Haruka turns to Makoto and says, “Your posture isn’t good, you should straighten up your back more.”

   “Ehh, what’s with all the lectures today,” Makoto says as he pouts. He does that rarely, so Haruka finds the expression hilarious. He pouts as well.

   “You’ve been my teacher for a while. I’m simply returning the favor.”

   “So mean…”

   The next day Makoto doesn’t show up for practice, presumably because he’s with a tutor. Somehow, it seems like Makoto has become more motivated to train since Haruka’s first sessions here. Haruka’s glad on his behalf for that, but honestly speaking, he think he’d like for Makoto to train with him. He’s not sure why he wants that, which is annoying to say the least. The warm feeling flooding inside his chest is only growing stronger, and sometimes Haruka wonders if Makoto is the one pouring the feelings in.    

 

 

**_________________________________________________________ **

 

 

_Bright._

   The sun was still the same as it had been back home, casting its light over the world.

   A man was showing you around the nation. He was old, at least for you to be. He was not as warm and welcoming as the human who had accompanied you on the journey to this world.   

   So many colors everywhere. And many flowers. It was nice so far. The thrilling feeling in your chest was only growing stronger.

   Many students were passing you, some of them way older, they looked cool and strong, some of them a bit intimidating.  

   One of them stopped walking completely. He looked at you, his lips parted and his eyes wide in something that seemed like shock. He was a kid, maybe around your age. Two kids beside him froze still and stared confused at him. You stopped your steps as well.

   The boy’s hair was pretty. That was your first immediate thought. You did not know why he was staring at you, but you felt kind of lucky. Like you had just won the lottery that your mom would give money to.

   The boy reached his hand out. He pointed at you with a shaky finger.

   _“You… your… soul…”_

   You did not know what to say.

   Then the boy smiled. His laughter rippled through the air. He ran towards you.

_“I can see your soul!”_

   Suddenly you felt even weirder.

_“And you’re the Holy Guardian! I can’t believe it! It’s really you!”_

   The boy’s name was Matsuoka Rin. A girl’s name. But a boy. For a moment, you wondered what your parents and old friends would say to this, but every time the smile of the boy’s widened, that thought and the weird feeling in your chest turned into a happy one.

   _This must be much better than the lottery._

   The two boys beside the boy were Shigino Kisumi and Tachibana Makoto. They looked happy too.

   Yes, bright.

   It had been a very bright sight.

_“MOVE! GET AWAY FROM HIM!”_

   The old-man’s voice. Scary. A big hand grabbed your arm and dragged you away from the others.

   _“NO! LET HIM GO!”_

   Some old-people that were wearing uniforms stopped the boy from punching the old-man’s leg. The boy screamed. You screamed too. Then some old-uniform-people helped the old-man. They took something over your head that you guessed was a sack. Everything turned black. You could not see, only hear the muffled shouting. Some old-people carried you like you were a baby and ran away with you. The boy with the pretty hair was gone. You screamed and cried for a while, but when you realized no one would help you, you just began sobbing. You felt lightheaded.   

   You knew you had been taken away somewhere far away. It felt like days were passing as you were laying down in a wobbling carriage, blindfolded by the sack and your hands tied together behind your back. You peed yourself. You were so thirsty your throat felt sore and so hungry your stomach hurt. Something was tearing apart the earlier warm feeling inside your chest. You did not understand what was going on.         

   _“Are you sure about this? I mean, he’s just a kid!”_

_“The King’s order’s not to give any chances. Don’t trust that stinky welwitschia-skunk!”_

The carriage stopped after something that felt like an eternity. Someone carried you out of the carriage. It took some time until they carried you inside somewhere; you could tell by the lack of wind and the sound of the footsteps from the one bearing you. You could see through the fabric of the sack that it was unusually bright compared to other houses in this world. It took a while before the old-people placed you inside a room. The old-people freed your locked hands and immediately walked out.

   A loud _‘BAM’_. It sounded like a heavy door had been shut, and when you took off the sack from your head and turned around, you expected to see that you were right. The problem was–

   _Dark._

   –You could not see anything.   

 

 

**_________________________________________________________ **

 

 

 

   Another day of training without Makoto. Rei and Nagisa are away as well, and Haruka doesn’t know what they’re up to. Yamazaki was here, but he went out after saying he was going to the bathroom. In other words, the only ones at the dojo is Haruka himself and the o’ so famously bad-tempered red head. Great.  

   This makes Haruka realize that he really has nothing else to do here but train. He doesn’t know what he feels about that. His body is sore from all the sudden hard training. At least he’s doing something productive, but this way of living feels kind of… forced. He isn’t any more free here than he was when attending school in Iwatobi.   

   Having it less noisy at the dojo and looking at the old, white bokken in his hand, Haruka senses nostalgia welling up in him. Memories of his lonesome training back in Iwatobi plays before him. That time feels so far away now…

   Nostalgia is a weird feeling. Right now, he could maybe have some use for alone time. A part of him wants to reach the unreachable: his past. Maybe it would feel nice to stay inside the old dojo again, yet somehow, Haruka is relieved it’s not the same anymore. A lot of things has already happened these pasts months, if those things didn’t happen, then he would’ve just continued living the normal, dreading life that he was so used to.

   “Oi! Where’s your mind run off to?”

   Yet there are some things in this world that he feels dreaded by as well.

   Haruka meets Matsuoka’s glare. They’ve been repeating moves with the bokken on each other. Haruka must have been clumsy with a move while being in his own thoughts, but he doesn’t really care.  

   “Don’t just slack off in the middle of the training, your hands are too loose on the bokken as well!”

   Yamazaki has been taking his time away from the dojo. If he was here, Matsuoka would’ve probably shut his mouth more. For the past days, it has been kind of awkward between him and Haruka, but he seems to be more moody today than ever.  

   He doesn’t say anything and they continue their training, yet somehow Matsuoka’s foul mouth is really having a great time criticizing his opponent. It’s annoying as fuck. Haruka tries to remind himself once in a while that somewhere, in a distant parallel universe, Matsuoka is not an asshole.

   “Heavens, do something with your stance. You’re not taking this seriously enough, are you? Don’t you realize how crucial your achievements are? We’re talking about the protection of a whole population and it’s your responsibly to preserve it. Wait, maybe you don’t care at all. Wouldn’t surprise me.”  

   But that settles it.

   Haruka attempts to breathe out _calmly_ , before he says in a not so calm voice, “Why don’t you become an actual tutor before you think you can lecture me this way?”

   Matsuoka lowers his bokken and scowls. “The tutors has chosen me to lecture you. Deal with it, _human_.”

   “If you hate me so much then why don’t you just leave me alone, _mazoku_.”

   Matsuoka’s jaw drops open and his bokken falls from his grip hard on the floor.

   “What did you call me?” he asks under his breath.

   Haruka doesn’t answer. In the human world, he was taught that it was nothing but discourteous to refer the elves as ‘mazoku’. Seems like it’s not very different here. _Well now I’ve done it._      

   Matsuoka suddenly snaps a curse as he runs towards Haruka and hastily grabs him by the neckline of his yukata.   

   “WHAT DID YOU SAY? HUH?”

   Haruka loses the grip of his bokken and is instantly pushed backwards until his back hits the wall with great force. Haruka groans and tries to break free from him, but Matsuoka is too strong and angry to let him move. For a moment, Haruka desperately wants to throw a punch at his pointy teeth, but just before he’s about to, he hesitates. It wouldn’t be good to shed blood here.  

   “You’ve really done it now, you know that?!” Matsuoka yells.

   Haruka feels almost claustrophobic by the strong grip on his yukata. He tries to move away again, but to no avail.  

   “Let me go–!”

   Matsuoka doesn’t answer. It looks like he wants to hit Haruka, but he doesn’t. Instead, he simply continues yelling.

   “Ever since I heard about you, you’ve left nothing for me but bad taste in my mouth! And every day you just continue proving how stinky you are!” Some spit touches Haruka’s face as he shouts. Haruka wants to yell back. Why does he think the world revolves around him?

   “What the hell did I do to you?” Haruka asks. “Tell me.” 

   “Besides cursing me just now? The only thing you’ve done is pissing me off!”

   “Oh? How would you like me to treat you when you yell at me all the time then?” Haruka takes a step forward and pushes Matsuoka with his hands. “Just because I’m another human doesn’t mean I’m another Yamazaki!”

   Matsuoka moves back, but he has still his hands on Haruka.

   “That’s not what I’m talking about! I just don’t get your logic! Not only do you make some damn serious trouble and act weird all the time, but for some reason you just _had_ to get here as fast as you could!”  

   “’Had to get here’…? What are you talking about?”

   “You only spent a week before moving here! You didn’t think one second about the people around you! How selfish can you get?!”

   Haruka blinks.

   “…You’re talking about Yamazaki.”

   Matsuoka’s grip weakens and Haruka shakes him off easily.

   _So that’s what this is about._

   Matsuoka averts his eyes away, his upturned eyebrows drawn together. It almost looks as if he’s suppressing a cry.  

“He had the chance to escape from this place for a while. He had the chance to feel safe. But he only got to be with his family for a week… because of you!”

   He points his glare back at Haruka and doesn’t look sad anymore.  

   Haruka looks down. He doesn’t know what to say, he has never thought about what he did in that way before. A part of what Matsuoka is saying is actually true. Haruka never did consider what it was like for Yamazaki to be separated from his family for seven years to then only get to spend seven days with them. Haruka hasn’t seen his family in seven years either so he never thought about Yamazaki. Maybe it was indeed selfish of him…

   “Bet you didn’t even realize that until now... tch,” Matsuoka mutters.  

   Sounds of footsteps comes from not far away from the entrance. Matsuoka turns around and stops to see Yamazaki standing there. He holds his arms crossed as he keeps his stare on Matsuoka. He sighs. It seems like he’s been here for a while without them knowing. For how long has he been listening?

   “I think that’s enough,” he says as he walks towards them.

   “I don’t,” Matsuoka says sharply. “Didn’t you hear him?”

   “Hear what?”

   “He called me ‘mazoku’!”  

   Now when Yamazaki is standing closer to them, he stops his steps. He directs an intimidating glare towards Haruka and mutters disappointed, “You know better than that.”  

   Haruka is ashamed, but at the same time he’s too pissed to say anything nicely, so he shuts his mouth.

   “I didn’t catch that, but I heard what you were talking about.” Yamazaki turns away from Haruka and sighs. “I get you Rin, I really do, but he’s not responsible for taking care of how I’m feeling. Don’t waste your time on what can’t be changed.”  

   Haruka is surprised to see he is defending him. Yamazaki stands close to Matsuoka, and for a moment it feels like Haruka is no longer in the room.  

   “Of course I know that, stupid,” Matsuoka shoots back.

   “Another thing is,” Yamazaki continues. “If I truly wanted to stay with my family longer, I’d protest.”

   That is true. When an era is over, a Holy Guardian can choose to go back to their homeland, but Yamazaki has never shown any sign of doing that.

   “…Sometimes I wish you had stayed there.”

   Haruka can’t believe what Matsuoka is saying. Is he in a fight with Yamazaki too now? It was incredibly rude, yet Yamazaki doesn’t look hurt at all. He just goes closer to him.

   “You know very well I shouldn’t have.”

   Matsuoka averts his eyes away and his eyebrows are upturned again.

   “I’ll see you later,” he says with a low voice before he walks away and heads out the entrance.   

   The sound of his footsteps echoing through the room is the only thing making a sound, before he’s gone and everything becomes quiet.  

   “…I’ve cursed the elves a lot.” Yamazaki shocks Haruka by saying that. He quickly takes a step closer to Haruka, shooting a threatening glare. “But what you did just now… one would think you have a death wish. Be thankful I’m letting this go, but from now on, don’t _ever_ compare Rin to them.”  

   He isn’t shouting, yet the power in his voice makes Haruka quiver. _‘Don’t_ ever _compare Rin to them’_. Does that mean there are someone they know that goes by the name ‘mazoku’ or something? Haruka doesn’t understand, but remains silent. The last thing he wants is to make Yamazaki any more angry.

   “I’ll invite myself to your house,” Yamazaki continues, this time with a calmer tone. Haruka frowns. “We need to talk.”  

**_________________________________________________________ **

****

 

   Makoto remembers why he had stopped training with the sword.       

   He doesn’t really have good body balance in the first place, which has always been at disadvantage when it comes to sword fighting, but what’s worse is his nervousness when carrying a weapon. He’s scared of messing it up, of acting clumsy and getting hit.   

   The tutor Gorou Sasabe had been quite happy when Makoto asked him for advice of what he should do about his training. His solution had surprised Makoto; he would teach him to handle a sword _while simultaneously_ casting spells. This man had killed the Shadow that had attacked Haru and Makoto, yet he doesn’t seem bothered by anything. Gorou Sasabe is what one would call a ‘true’ northerner. A brave warrior.   

   It has only been a few days since he began tutoring Makoto, yet they are already seeing improvement in Makoto’s attack with the sword. Nevertheless, Makoto is still a bit uncomfortable with the training, going from bokken to sword so fast hasn’t been going smoothly.   

   These sessions has brought a little hope to his heart however. If Makoto becomes stronger… No, he _has_ to get stronger! He remembers how he and Rin would talk about becoming strong grownups as kids, that they would protect the world and their loved ones with all their might. Makoto thinks it’s kind of cute how they were so excited about all that stuff, and even though they’ve never talked about it since, Makoto is more desperate than ever to make that goal an achievement.    

   When he and Haru met the Shadow… they were so close from letting the worst thinkable thing happen. If Makoto had been stronger, then the Shadow would have died that night, but it didn’t. Instead, he only increased the possibility of it hurting Haru, and it kept roaming around close to the students for almost a week, until the others had to finish Makoto’s job.  

   Makoto has to become stronger.

   Something is itching inside of his chest, it’s a feeling he has never quiet felt before. Haru has been away from his eyesight a lot recently and he doesn’t like it. What if Haru goes a little too close to the woods again? What if the Shadows are closer to him than they think? What if someone disrespects him? Makoto can’t know if he’s okay until he sees him, and waiting all day while he trains to see him in the evening is sickening. Maybe he could ask Gorou if Haru could train with them. No, he doesn’t want the king to scold him for giving Haru the wrong teaching methods again.  

   He had visited Rin and Sousuke the day when Haru and Makoto met the king. Before that, he had agreed with Sousuke to tell him everything regarding what they had talked about at the meeting. He told them how Haru wants to know more about Sousuke’s past and that he’s just getting more and more curious. Rin had seemed annoyed whenever Makoto mentioned him, while Sousuke simply nodded quietly.   

   _“I’d rather want him to lose faith in this world because of us than because of them,”_ had Sousuke said.

   That only made Makoto feel worse. More than anything, he just wants Haru to be happy. He doesn’t want him to feel endangered, but so many things are going against that, especially when Sousuke will tell him.   

   They had been sitting in the living room, and Makoto wanted to tell them about him and Haru. He wanted them to know that Haru’s soul is bonded with his – that they are soulmates. But as always, he had chickened out. He doesn’t know why he suddenly became nervous when he was about to tell them, but the words just didn’t come out of his mouth.  

   Makoto had told Haru that he deserves to know the truth. In reality, it’s not only Sousuke that needs to open up. Makoto has waited long enough. It wouldn’t be smart to keep his truth a secret for his friends, not for too long anyways.   

   He has to tell someone about Haru.  

   “Hey, Tachibana,” Gorou calls Makoto. He was just about to leave after this day’s session. They train outside, sometimes doing laps around the area and training strength, Gorou has even made him carry heavy logs and doing other exercise he has never practiced before. Makoto turns around to his tutor who’s walking towards him. He’s holding onto something that looks like a parchment, before handing it over to Makoto. “You’re in group with the Matsuoka-boy aren’t ya? He’s got a message I was meant to deliver, but things are coming up so… won’t you do it?”

   “Oh… yes, sir!”

   The parchment is folded, so Makoto has no idea what it’s about, let alone why it’s sent to Rin. He’s not in trouble, is he?

   He goes to give it to Rin, but the itching feeling in his chest is telling him it’s more important to see Haru, so he walks up the hill from his class regime’s area and towards Haru’s house. The others in his group have probably already returned from the dojo and are on their way home. It’s not long since their sessions should have ended, so maybe Makoto will even jump into Haru on the way to his house.

   He is proven correct not long after keeping that thought, when he spots Haru walking close to his house – but he’s not alone.

   Beside him walks Sousuke. He can’t see their faces as their backs are at him. They are walking a couple meters from each other in a fast, even pace. It is very rare to see them being alone together. Perhaps Makoto should let them be by themselves.  

   He breathes out when looking at Haru’s soul. The itching feeling inside of him calms down, and he turns to walk another way.  

   It’s still bright. The days are longer now than before and Makoto prefers it that way. He decides to head over to Sousuke and Rin’s residence to see if he can meet Rin. Last time he was there was when Haru stumbled across the Shadow. Amakata told them it’s safe there now, but Makoto can’t help but feel jumpy as he reaches the house. Something that may be a plan is being drafted in his head, but he mostly just wants to see how his childhood friend is doing.

   It takes a longer time than usual for Rin to open the door after the knock and when he does, he makes a weird face when noticing that it’s Makoto who’s the one visiting.          

   “Rin, what’s up?” Makoto asks while he lets himself in. Rin steps to the side and scratches his back.

   “Not much,” he says, trying to sound casual, clearly hinting that _something’s_ up. “Why’d you come here?”

   “I.” Makoto begins, but stops. Why is he pausing? It’s obvious why he’s here, so he really doesn’t need time to answer. He hands over the parchment to Rin who raises an eyebrow as he looks at it. “Gorou-sensei wants you to read this.”

   “What is it?”

   “I don’t know. I haven’t peeked.”

   Something about Rin’s expression had seemed aggressive, but then his look softens as he sighs.   

   “I’ll read this later, but before that, you better help me with chores now that you’re here.” 

   Makoto gladly obeys and they go to the laundry room to wash clothes. While they clean, their conversation is mostly small talk and Rin asks him about his training with Gorou. Being honest with his friend, Makoto tells him the training is rough and he’s still not used to it, but he feels more motivated than ever to become stronger. As he is talking, he grabs a clothing without looking and Rin suddenly begins shouting at him as he had taken someone’s underwear. After that, Rin makes a rule that he would take care of some certain clothing.

   As they are done and heading out from the washing room and to the living room, Makoto looks at Rin.

   “What about your training? How’s Haru doing?”

   Suddenly Rin scowls and looks away. For some reason, Rin has always seemed peeved at hearing Haru’s name (which frankly has peeved Makoto a bit back), but this time Rin doesn’t just look annoyed – he looks angry.   

   “Ugh, why are you always so curious about him?” He sits down on the couch and leans his head back on his folded hands. “You should be glad you weren’t at the dojo today.”

   “Huh?” Makoto tilts his head. “What happened?”

   “That asshole called me a mazoku.”

   Makoto blinks.  

   “What?”

   “I already had a bad feeling about Nanase since the beginning,” Rin says, but Makoto has a hard time following his words. “I can’t believe we have to train together.”

   It’s silent for a few seconds and Makoto can’t believe what he’s saying. Did Haru really call him that?

   “What… did you do to make him say that?”

   An unexpected glare shoots Makoto’s way.

   “Why’d you jump to that conclusion?” Rin asks. “You think it’s _my_ fault?”

   The itching feeling in Makoto itches more and more, along with an uncomfortable ball rolling around down in his stomach.

   “I just…” He begins and averts his eyes away from the glare. “It seems unlikely that Haru would suddenly say that, he’s not that kind of a guy – and don’t call him an asshole, does that really make you any better?”

   Rin frowns and gets up from the couch.

   “Why are you defending him? You don’t even know what happened yet you’re instantly taking his side instead of mine – _your best friend_.”

   Makoto freezes and it takes some time to reply.

   “Tell me what happened then.”

   Rin sighs. He looks down and lightly kicks in the air.

   “We were just training as usual. Well, I might have been a bit mocking with my way of lecturing to make him say that, I don’t know. Maybe it was unfair of me, was that what you wanted to hear? It’s just that whenever he’s around I get so pissed off, I feel like I turn into this meaner version of myself and I hate it. But forget that, what’s more important is that he makes so much trouble for everyone.”

   Rin rambles away about how he thought it was selfish of Haru to leave his hometown as soon as he did and that he won’t forgive him for putting Makoto in danger. Makoto doesn’t say anything, but he looks down and balls his fist. It’s like the itching feeling in his chest makes a spark, and suddenly Makoto feels a feeling he rarely senses, a boiling feeling.

   “But you know Haru never meant to hurt anyone, Rin!” His voice is kind of shaking. “That he cursed you was unexpected, but he might not have known what he was doing. All the time he has been here, he has tried his best at settling down here – with us. Out of all the others, shouldn’t you be able to set yourself in his shoes now when you have Sousuke? You should know that he is in a difficult situation.”

   “He hasn’t had it any similar to what Sousuke had to go through!” Rin snaps. “He’s not a victim who needs any of my support either!”

   “Haru doesn’t need to be any of those for you to open up to him!”

   “I don’t need to open up to him!” Rin takes a step closer to Makoto. “Another thing is, he’s just becoming another part of this fucked up system, and I don’t like watching it happen!”

   “Then you can do something about it, can’t you? That he’s here is not his fault!”

   Suddenly, Rin’s expression changes. He lowers his shoulders and takes a step backwards. He says nothing. A few seconds passes. Makoto realizes he has been shouting.

   “What?” he questions Rin’s sudden reaction.

   “No, I’m just surprised,” Rin says, his voice is much quieter now. “I’ve never seen you stand up against me this way before.”

   Then, Makoto’s shoulders sink his tense shoulders as well. Did he get angry just now? All his life, he has never confronted Rin like this, so no wonder he is surprised. Makoto is surprised as well. He has always taken Rin’s side or left the argument before they ever got into a fight, but now he yelled at him. He quickly looks away.

   “I’m so–“

   “Don’t say you’re sorry,” Rin interrupts, not sounding very irritated anymore. “It’s good to see you like that for once, though I’d wish you’d do that for yourself and not for him…”

   Makoto bites his lip. Maybe Rin is speaking the truth. After all, he and others has talked about how Makoto should stand more up for himself. The thing is however… for him, he _is_ standing up for himself if he stands up for Haru. Haru already means so much for him, so there really is no difference.  

   Rin doesn’t know how much Haru means to him though…

   He carefully looks at Rin again, his heart beating fast. 

   _The truth…_

   “Haru’s…”

   Rin creases his eyebrows and Makoto feels his ears getting warm.

   _The truth is…_

   “I can see Haru’s soul.”  

 

**_________________________________________________________ **

 

 

 

   _Scary._

   _No. Mortifying._

   You did not know where you were.

   You were screaming for help.

   Thirst, hunger, loneliness, sadness, but most of all anger.

   _Why am I here?_

   You had not done anything wrong, yet you were stuck in that room. There was no light. It was dark. There were no stars. No blue light dancing in the horizon this time. Only pitch black darkness.   

   Nobody answered your cries.

   You thought that maybe sleeping would be good. Maybe you could escape from this place in your dreams.

   Nightmares.

   Oh no, the nightmares were even worse.

   It had only passed a few minutes when meeting the boy. The boy with the pretty hair. You did not even remember his name, but you remembered his face. He was often in your dreams, until they turned into nightmares. Sometimes it felt like you could talk to him while you were sleeping. You would have conversations. One time he repeated his name, and that time you remembered it. _Rin._ That was the only light you had, until the nightmares came and you woke up in that dark room.

   Sometimes the door would open and the room was not that dark anymore. It was either because one of the old-people in uniforms would shift the bucket you had peed in. On rare occasions, they would give you food too. They said ugly words to you when they did that, and the food tasted horrible.

   Other than that, it was always so dark and quiet. You wanted to get out. You wanted to see all the colors again, but the dark had become your only friend. 

   However, suddenly, one day it changed.

   _“Switch it on!”_

   A sound of a ‘thud’, the sound of someone hitting something, and then…

   _Light._

   Something that wasn’t the moon nor the stars shined upon you from the door. A buzzing sound came from it. It sounded like his old TV or refrigerator from home – like electricity. They had told you they did not use electricity in this world, except from in your house, but you knew that thing was a fake light.

   _A lamp?_

   It hurt. Badly. At one point you were sure you would turn blind because of it. After a few minutes, the lamp was turned off again. The darkness hurt too. Then after a few seconds it was turned on again. And then off. On. Off. On. Off. On. Off. You lost count after they had turned it on ten times.   

   It stopped after a while, but it would happen many times again. The old-people told you later that if a some sort of monster controlled you, the light would make your body disappear. However, your body never changed at all, except from the fact that you were losing a lot of precious weight.      

   You did not know how much time you were spending there. All you know, was what little happened in that room, and that the warm feeling you once had felt when meeting that boy, turned into something that felt like a thousand knives stabbing you from the inside. You wanted to get out. Desperately. Yet everything felt so pointless. You were too young and naïve to understand what was happening.

   Sometimes the pain became too unbearable and you decided it helped when scratching your chest. You would bleed sometimes, but you did not mind. Then, one day you realized, you were not really itching to hurt yourself, but for someone else to heal you.

   You cried a lot, yet you always tried to remember, the only true light you could hold onto:

_Rin._

 

 

**_________________________________________________________ **

****

 

 

   “Let’s go to another place. Somewhere more private.”

   Yamazaki says this after having stopped to stare at Haruka’s house and guards. His look had been a thoughtful yet a bitter one, before he turned sideways and began walking again. Haruka follows close behind.

   “Isn’t my house private enough?” he asks, being curious while keeping his usual monotone tone. 

   “No.”

   Haruka frowns. What does that mean?  

   They don’t talk after that but just continue walking. After some time, Yamazaki begins going into new streets where Haruka has never been before and he instantly gets flashbacks from the evening after the banquet. This time Haruka doesn’t go a different way than Yamazaki however, but he still can’t help but feel a bit nervous.  

   Just where the hell are they going? Yamazaki isn’t the type to express his emotions so much, but his anger towards Haruka after he had cursed Rin had been truly evident. What if he is the typical protective boyfriend-type and is so pissed off at Haruka that he’s taking him to this ‘private’ place where he will beat him up for getting in a fight with Rin? Haruka won’t stand a chance against Yamazaki in a proper fight so that can only go his way.   

   He wonders what Makoto is doing. What would he think if he heard him cursing Rin? Would he want Yamazaki to throw a good right hook at him too?

   Something like fifteen minutes must have passed and they eventually reach an area that Haruka guesses must belong to other classes of their regime, as they walk past dojos and lots of younger kids. Many of the young students stares at them as they walk past as well as some of the tutors following the kids.

   Leaving those students behind, they go between alleys, it takes a few minutes until they reach a dead end and Yamazaki finally stops his steps. 

   If Haruka’s house wasn’t private enough, then this place sure is.

   They must be standing between the younger students’ barracks. The entry doors are on the other side, so it clearly looks like nobody would meet them at this deserted alley. Haruka takes a glance at the wooden walls, before turning to Yamazaki.

   “Are you gonna beat me up?”

   Yamazaki looks confused for a second and blinks. Then – surprising Haruka – a weak smile tugs at his lips as he gives off a weak chuckle. “Nah, we’re just gonna have a chat.”  

   Haruka doesn’t really believe him at first, but then Yamazaki groans as he crouches and sits down on the ground, leaning his back against the wall and keeping one of his knees up.

   “No one will walk in here, so we’re free to talk,” he says.      

   “How do you know that?”

   Strangely, Yamazaki only answers with a shrug, looking away as he says, “No one’s done that before at least.”

   Is he here often then, Haruka wonders, and in the back of his head he is sure he doesn’t want to know the story behind how Yamazaki and possibly others found this private place.   

   “Then, if we’re just gonna _chat_ , tell me what I need to know. Who’s the mazoku you were talking about?”  

   Beating around the bush has never been a strong side of Haruka, but it doesn’t really matter. He's sure Yamazaki is the same.

   Yamazaki looks up.

   “There’s no one that calls themselves mazoku,” he says. “However, there’s a certain type of elves that deserves the name ‘mazoku’. The reason I wanted to talk to you, Nanase…  is because of the ones that have forgotten who they are, who are instead focused on their enemy – the only ones you should curse.”

   Haruka sits down and leans on the wall opposite to Yamazaki. He gets the feeling they’ll be here for a while. Yamazaki picks up some gravel from the ground next to him and plays with it.  

   “Rin is a very emotional guy. He blames himself for the things I had to go through after I got here. Yet he has always tried to brush away his feelings in front of the others, making all his anger towards those people boil up and now apparently letting them out on you. I guess he’s sick of seeing that not much in this society has changed since when I came here seven years ago. And well, I am sick of it too.”      

   Whatever happened to them as kids, Haruka thinks, he won’t excuse Rin’s behavior towards him just because of that.

   “The first minute of when we met was similar to how any other elf meets their soulmate.” Yamazaki looks at the gravel as if it is the most interesting thing in the world. “He saw me, he saw my soul and we were pretty excited. It was only a few days after I moved here.”

   “That’s not all that happened,” Haruka states firmly.

   Yamazaki shakes his head. “They took me away from him. Thought I was a faker trying to form an alliance with a kid. I was sent to the Eastern nation for an examination.” He creases his eyebrows. “No, it was never really just a simple examination. What they did, was putting me in this dark room and leaving me there for months. There was nothing there but blackness and a bucket to piss in. I got little food and I was stinking the whole time.”

   Haruka doesn’t understand. What did he just say?

   “They did what…?” is the only thing he’s capable of saying and Yamazaki meets his stare.  

   “They couldn’t take any chances,” he says without any emotion. “If they didn’t have control over a possible faker, it would be too late for them to stop it from attacking.”

   It sounds like a prison, no, worse than a typical one. A part of Haruka reminds himself that Amakata had proposed to send him to that place. While keeping that in his thoughts, Yamazaki continues speaking.

   “What they call ‘examination’ didn’t start until months later. They started using this sharp light to see if my body reacted in any strange ways in case my soul was taken over by a Shadow. Rather than an examination, they experimented on me, not seeing me as a human child anymore. Every day was filled with pain and every night with nightmares. It hurt badly and my eyes never recovered from it, and sometimes I’ll get these sudden blackouts.”  

   Haruka doesn’t notice it, but his hands are shaking. None of this makes sense, he thinks. Plus, why did the elves have a lamp there?    

   “You mean,” he says. “With the lamp… There was electricity there?”

   Yamazaki meets his eyes with a deadpan look.

   “Did you really think this world would go all the way with producing energy for only one resident?”

   That question hits Haruka, so hard he almost wants to puke.

   He has always been used to the thought of the Holy Guardians being seen as legendary people standing above anyone else. The treatment he got during the few days in the other world after the holy ritual had been almost overwhelming and the elves had welcomed him to this world like he was a saint. Yet… the elves treated Yamazaki as if he was a dangerous animal, and people are already becoming wary of Haruka…

   “I managed going through what they did to me, until one day,” Yamazaki continues. “The great battle happened earlier in that era than usual and a massive squad of Shadows had been attacking around the border of the Northern and Eastern nation, close to where I was being held. For the first time in a very long while, the Shadows were at advantage and multiple elves lost their lives. That day, someone decided to betray their orders and let me free from my prison, in hopes of me saving them somehow. I still don’t know who they were, what their voice was like and whether they got away with it or not, but their action resulted in saving many lives.”    

   Yamazaki throws the gravel in his hand away.    

   “I didn’t want to save them,” he says. They hear a faint noise of children laughing not far away. “I just ran away from there, first having to run through the building that looked more like a modern human laboratory than anything. I realized then that I had been lied to. I’d been tortured for half a year by people who had forgotten why I had been sent there in the first place.”

   He continues talking about what happened and Haruka only stares emptily at the ground.    

   The ten-year-old Yamazaki ran away from where he had been held, into some kind of forest, not caring about anything. He hated the place. He hated everything and everything was hell. He was crying, not understanding why it was him that had to go through this. He ran and ran deep into the woods for he doesn’t know how long, until his weak body couldn’t handle it anymore.

   That was when he had seen it for the first time.  

   A Shadow.  

   It was as tall as the trees around him and it could speak to him. He doesn’t remember clearly what happened, only that he was shaking so much he couldn’t do anything and that the Shadow could speak his language. It hadn’t done anything for a while, until it made loud screeching noises and moved closer. It told him it could give him the peace he so desperately wanted and something that looked like the monster’s arm grazed his right shoulder, leaving an ugly mark for eternity. It stung. He was too startled and exhausted to prevent it from happening.

   Just as he had been standing there, close to his death, a group of tutors, guards and fighters showed up and saved Yamazaki from being killed. Gorou Sasabe had been one of the people slaying the Shadow down, which earned him the title as the strongest fighter at the time.    

   The Shadow that had almost taken Yamazaki’s life had been what they call a Core Shadow, being the leader of the Shadows. If Yamazaki hadn’t found it, then the Shadows could have been unstoppable. Thanks to this, the elves regained most of their trust in him, yet Yamazaki hadn’t felt any victory at all. He was simply relieved he was out from that dark room, but the heavy feeling in his chest was still there.

   Meanwhile, a Shadow had killed the king during the great battle and the world was sorrowing over him. They had survived, but were still at loss. The elves realized quickly that Yamazaki had never been a faker, and he soon learned that it was mainly the king who had ordered his subordinates to keep going with the ‘examination. It turned out that the one who had doubted Yamazaki the most was the world’s dead king.

   As his ‘duty’ was over, Yamazaki was offered the chance to travel back to his home world or to move to another nation, but there was only one thing he wanted. There was only one person he wanted to see. He decided to continue living in this world despite his previous treatment.

   The end of the hundred-and-sixty-third Holy Guardian’s era had been torturing and quick, and that was how Yamazaki Sousuke saved two worlds from their doom.

 

 

**_________________________________________________________ **

 

 

   Red hair. It was prettier up close.

   You played with it, letting it run between your fingers.

   Half a year had passed since you could finally be with him again. During that time in the dark room, you would talk to him through your dreams before they turned into nightmares, but this was much better. So much better.   

   You liked him. A lot. You were not good at expressing your emotions and even worse at reading the mood, but he made it so easy for you to understand what he was feeling, thinking, wanting you to know.   

   He showed his emotions clearly. You loved it, yet…

   Yet you hated seeing him cry.

   You had a nightmare again and woke up screaming. He was there lying next to you on the bed, as always. He hugged you and whispered to you, as always. Then he started crying.  

    _“I’m so sorry… Sousuke…”_

   You were the one who ended up comforting him. Hugging him felt good. Every time he cried, you would not say much, just maybe brush away his tears and maybe play with his hair.

   _“I wasn’t able to protect you…”_

   It was not his fault. Why was he blaming himself?

_“Why are you still here? Don’t you hate me? Don’t you hate us? This world is cruel, it hasn’t done anything good to you. I just want you to be happy, but I’ve only hurt you. I’ve only…”_

   You stopped playing with his hair and leaned away from him. His eyes were blurry from the veil of tears.   

   _“You’ve only helped me. I wouldn’t be here if there wasn’t something that made me happy here. Something that I’d want to protect.”_

   That was your true emotions. You were able to express yourself. You even thought that what you said made you seem cool and mature for your age. Maybe he thought the same, for he only wept a little, and his tears stopped coming.

   He repeated your name a few times and you hugged him again. Both of you laid down again and for the first time, you kissed his forehead.

   His hair was so much prettier up close.   

_“I want to stay here with you. Always.”_

 

 

**_________________________________________________________ **

 

 

 

   _“I can see Haru’s soul.”_

   Shocked, Rin looks at Makoto with wide eyes.

   “What...”  

   Makoto doesn’t know why he’s so nervous, but he is unable to say anything at first. Rin warily takes a step back.  

   “But that means…” Suddenly, he doesn’t look surprised anymore, but instead terrified. “Wait, for how long have you been able to see it? After he encountered the Shadow? If that’s the case then…!”

   “No, no! It’s not like that!”

   “What do you mean?! He could be a –!”

   “He’s not a faker! I’ve seen Haru’s soul since the beginning! Ever since he walked out of that carriage the day he arrived and ‘til now… Our souls are bonded!”    

   “What?!” Rin goes closer, grabs Makoto by the shoulders and keeps shouting. “You mean to tell me you’re _soulmates_?!” 

   “That’s what I’ve been saying!” 

   “Then why haven’t’ you told me?!”

   “I-I was scared! I’m telling you now!”

   A second passes without them saying anything. Then another. And another. Rin is still holding onto Makoto’s shoulders so much it hurts, his jaw hanging.

   “All this time,” he whispers, loosening his grip. “For two months.”   

   “I’m sorry for not telling you sooner,” Makoto says. “I was just unsure of what to do, i-in fact I still am…”  

   Rin doesn’t seem like he knows what to do with himself.

   “…Does _he_ know?”

   “No, you’re the first one to hear about this.” Rin brings his palm to his forehead and stares in the air, obviously having a hard time comprehending what he’s hearing. He mouths some inaudible words and his eyes flickers down and up to Makoto, who bows his head. “I’ve been too scared to take any chances, so I don’t think Haru has any idea of it.”

   “I see.” Rin looks down too. “You’re not as stupid as I was.”

   Makoto’s body jerks and he looks up again.

   “You were just a kid, Rin. I knew what they did to you and Sousuke, while you couldn’t have been aware of the consequences. And even though I’ve been quiet so far, if I started telling the truth now and too many knew I could see Haru’s soul, they wouldn’t have believed me when saying I have seen it since the beginning. And I despise it and I don’t want to say it, but I think people are already wary of him.”   

   Rin’s mouth twitches, before he mutters quietly, “Of course they are.”

   “But you and I know he has always been a human who doesn’t mean any harm against any of us, and even if you like him or not…” Makoto says, feeling his blood rushing towards his cheeks. “Haru is my soulmate.”

   He wants Rin to truly understand the entire situation, so he tells him everything. From the horror he felt after seeing the soul and how he tried to get information on human souls in the library, from when he met Haru in the rain and how their souls were dancing, all the way to how he found Haru in the woods that night with help from his glowing soul shining in the dark and his recent itching feelings crawling inside his chest.     

   It’s quiet again. Makoto doesn’t dare to look at Rin, so he doesn’t know what face he could be making. 

   “That does sound very much like your souls are bonded,” Rin mumbles, and then, out of nowhere, Makoto hears him start snickering. He looks up and Rin is turning around, almost doing a little dance.  

   “I can’t believe it,” he cheers teasingly. “The boy’s in love!”

   Makoto is sure his face is completely red. He tries to say something in defense but he only stutters incoherent words.    

   Suddenly, Rin stops, and he mutters, “But Nanase… why _that guy_ of all people…”

   Annoyed, Makoto straightens his back and glares at Rin.  

   “Even with your reasoning, it still doesn’t make sense to me why you have to be so harsh towards Haru. It’s unfair.”

   “Come on Makoto, don’t make it sound like I’m on the wrong side here.” Rin meets his glare. “Adding with the things I mentioned earlier, maybe it’s just his personality or something that pisses me off. Listen, he could’ve been the purest guy in the universe and I’d still hate his guts. Does that really make me the bad guy?”   

   “Of course you’re not the bad guy,” Makoto says. “But I don’t think you’ve really given him a fair chance, can’t you just try to forgive him?”

   Rin sighs. Then he groans and wobbly walks towards the couch before dropping himself down. Then he curses.

   “Alright, alright! I’ll try to be nicer or whatever – for you.”

   “Not for me, for Haru!”

   “Fine, _mom_.”

   Makoto doesn’t remember the last time he has wanted to roll back his eyes, but he’s just about to do it now. He sighs as well, assuming they’re at a closure now and sits down beside his friend, not saying anything but letting the silence flow by, while Rin must be having thoughts he has never had before regarding all of what they have talked about.   

   “But, you’ve really kept it a secret even for him all this time?” Rin eventually asks. “Doesn’t that feel like shit?”

   “I haven’t felt like I had any other chose,” Makoto answers genuinely. “But yeah, I feel guilty for it and… it hurts.”

   Rin gives off a weak, apologetic smile.

   “You’ve done well so far, none of you are in danger thanks to you,” he says and the itching feeling inside Makoto starts rampaging at the thought of it being the opposite. “So what’s the plan?”

   “I’m not sure if I have one…”   

   At some point, Makoto did think a lot about how he should approach the situation, but the more and more he has gotten to know Haru, the more he forgot about making any plans. A while ago, he had decided to get to know Haru before taking any significant choices, wasn’t that so?

   He tells Rin this and is only received by a nod as an answer.  

   Seven years ago, the moment they met Sousuke for the first time, Makoto, Rin and their childhood friend Kisumi had just been eating lunch together. Even to this day, he remembers Rin’s enthusiasm as he happily ran towards Sousuke and introduced himself. His eyes were sparkling of joy and the puzzled human had been silent, yet given a smile at Rin–  

   –Before the sudden change of scenery occured.   

   Rin tends to give the impression that Sousuke was the only one being tortured, but Makoto were witness to what happened to Rin himself during all those months while Sousuke was held hostage by the authorities. They had interrogated Rin as well, but released him quickly after realizing he was nothing but an elf. However, the king would not let go of the idea of Sousuke being a faker, and he and Rin continued being separated for so long that it became too much for them to handle.  

   After only a few weeks with Sousuke sent to the Eastern nation, Rin began to share room with Makoto as he wouldn’t sleep and cry alone. He would have nightmares. Every night. Sometimes Kisumi would let him spend the night at his room as well. They could never leave him alone at night; they didn’t have the heart too.   

   People around them were avoiding Rin and therefore his friends. Fakers had killed elves before and nobody wanted to be next. Granted, the other students believed whole-heartedly that Sousuke had been controlled by the Shadows, just as the king had believed and told them. However, somehow, Rin knew that wasn’t true. He told about his dreams and how he could talk with Sousuke through them, and he knew he was human. And he knew what they were doing to him.  

   Rin had always been so cheerful before then. It was heartbreaking to see him change from the most motivated student and uplifting friend to a lost child that began skipping practices and having sudden outbursts. He would protest –Makoto, Kisumi, Rei and Nagisa with him. They begged the tutors to consider that they had done a mistake, but of course they wouldn’t listen to just a small group of kids. There must have been some people among the tutors and fighters that disagreed with the king’s order of keeping Sousuke away, but they never stood up against it.     

   Ever since the great battle occurred and Sousuke was released, they have all slowly recovered from the horrifying era, slowly accepted the harsh truth that there are no ways out of fighting against the Shadows. And slowly, people have learnt to look at Sousuke as one of their own. But Rin and Sousuke will never forget, and Makoto thinks they will never forgive either. Neither will he.

   Despite everything that happened, Sousuke continued living in the elves’ land. He quickly found a safe place in the dojo, where he would train every day with his soulmate, and they are both growing up as stronger fighters, still building up more and more motivation to protect what they desire to protect.   

   Makoto wakes up from his daydreaming when Rin leans forward to look at him in the eye. It seems like Rin wants to say something, but he is hesitant. A couple seconds passes before he carefully puts his hand on Makoto’s shoulder.      

   “Hey, I know I can be unbearable at times.” He actually surprises Makoto with his humble tone. “And I know I’ve talked shit to Nanase, but… Right now, I really do hope for the best for the both of you. I want to, no, I’m desperate to make you be happy together, without anyone stopping you. It feels like I finally have gotten the chance to redeem myself for what I let happen to Sousuke all those years ago, so, if there’s anything I can do to help, then tell me ok? You have to.”  

   Makoto doesn’t know what to say at first. In fact, he’s too emotional to say anything, so he just utters his name and hugs him and kind of feels like crying.

   “O-Oi! This wasn’t what I wanted! Get off me!”  

   He doesn’t want to let go, but Rin lightly pushes him away flustered. Makoto sniffs, trying to repress his tears from escaping his eyes. He’s reminded that despite everything that has happened, Rin is still Rin and their friendship have only gotten stronger as they have grown up.   

   “Rin, thank you.”

   “There’s nothing to thank me for. And this doesn’t mean I’m suddenly best buddies with Nanase, got it?”

   “I think you’ll be friends someday.”

   “Piss off.”

   Makoto chuckles.

   Suddenly, Rin makes an expression as if he just realized something and raises himself from the couch.

   “That’s right. The thing you delivered to me, I still haven’t read it.”  

   He goes to get what Gorou had relayed Makoto and sits back on the couch next to him. He folds the parchment back and reads it quietly. It takes about half a minute. Makoto isn’t reading and expects Rin to say something, but when he doesn’t, he moves in closer.  

   “What does it say?”

   Rin sneers at the letter.

   “The king wants to meet me.” His grip on the paper becomes so hard he crumples it. His displeased expression must only cover a tiny part of his fury towards the royal family. “What does he want?”   

   Makoto has no idea, but one thing is, he has never witnessed nor heard of any student ever receiving an invitation from the king. He supposes all they can do is hope that it’s not a bad thing…

 

 

**_________________________________________________________ **

 

 

 

   Haruka is just realizing his body is trembling. He shakes his head.

   “No… I don’t understand.”

   “It might be heavy and take a while to sink in for you,” Yamazaki says. “I guess what I wanted to tell you is just that this society is a lot shallower then you’d think.”  

   The former king… Everybody… They let Matsuoka and Yamazaki go through all that hell even when they were just little innocent kids. If the king hadn’t been so wary of them, then maybe he would have focused more on the people around him as well as the previous Holy Guardian, and he’d have survived. Maybe a lot of people’s lives would have been saved if Yamazaki hadn’t been locked up. Those people who tortured him… How could they have the heart to do that? Is that the people Yamazaki calls mazoku?    

   The human world has always been aware that there is one threat the elves have to fight, yet they have also viewed the elves’ world as a magical paradise without any similar tragedies to what the humans are going through. Why doesn’t the humans know anything? Even Yamazaki, he…

    “But… I remember,” Haruka mumbles, before looking up and raising his voice a bit. “You told the humans that you had been happy growing up alongside the elves.”

   “It was a lie,” Yamazaki says. “Well, partly a lie anyways.”

   That is not a good enough answer for Haruka.

   “Why did you cover it up? You could have let everybody know what happened. The humans doesn’t know anything about the struggles here. Couldn’t you have changed that?”

   Some part of him is unsure whether he’s being too harsh or not, but he simply doesn’t understand and he wants to. Yamazaki doesn’t seem too bothered by the question, it’s been a while since he has looked Haruka in the eyes and he’s still gazing at any other place than him.   

   “It’s wrong for the elves to isolate themselves from the humans, and it’s good that you’re questioning it. If this world was more open then both parts would earn on it and we could build trust and cooperation. That’s what we want. Rin and I, I mean. But, truth be told, if I had suddenly told the truth about the Shadows and everything that has happened to the Holy Guardians to the people back then, then I’d only unleash chaos and distrust as no formal declaration would have been made. We need the king to be on our side to make it happen.”

   “Do you think King Seijuro would want that too?”

   “Depends. If he’s like his father, then no.”  

   A minute passes. There used to be a faint sound of children’s laughter, but they must have gone inside to eat dinner by now. Haruka takes his time letting all this new knowledge sink in, before he demands more answers to his questions.

   “After what they did to you… Why are you still here?”

   Yamazaki hasn’t looked up yet. The gravel on the ground has become uninteresting and he isn’t playing with it anymore.

   “If I had gone back, I wouldn’t be able to change anything about the situation here. If I can erase more of the monsters terrorizing this land, and if I can make sure the king wants to open up to the other world, then I can do so much more than I ever could by staying with the humans. I see a bigger future here.” He pauses for a moment. “Besides, the place where I first grew up never felt like a true home. There was nothing there I was desperate to protect. It’s different here.”

   Haruka has the feeling he’s vaguely talking about Matsuoka. Another thing is, he has never heard Yamazaki speak so many words during his whole time staying here, so it’s strange to hear him being so honest. After everything he has said, Haruka starts to understand what Yamazaki truly wants to achieve here.  

   “You want to save this world. And not just from the Shadows.”

   That’s when Yamazaki slowly looks up to his eyes, his expression dead serious.  

   “There are not only Shadows I want to get rid of.”  

   Before Haruka has any time to react to what he just said, Yamazaki sighs and gets up. Is he done speaking?

   “You can’t let anyone know that I’ve told you this.” He brushes away gravel dust from his clothes using his hands. “They don’t want you to know about my past. Makes them seem like the bad guys, you know.”

   Haruka gets up as well in a more clumsy way than Yamazaki. His body is still quivering a bit.  

   “Do you see them as bad people?”

   It takes a while before he answers.

   “There’s bad people everywhere. Some of the authorities just get more on my nerves than others.” He turns to Haruka. “Just remember, Nanase, the majority of the elves never had faith in you and they never will. It might seem like they’ve given up on doubting me, but they’ll always be wary, just like how they’ll always be wary of you. Also, because of your scandalous start here, they are extra skeptical of your judgment and position. To them, you just might be one of the bad people.”

   Haruka is slightly offended, but lets it pass. After all, he is right. The first week for him here was spent in bed and he even overheard a couple of students talking behind his back afterwards about how they thought he didn’t fully support them. In addition to top the whole thing, he encountered the Shadow after making a foolish mistake that was going into the woods at night. No wonder people are skeptical towards him.      

   Yamazaki has chosen to stay here, while Haruka signed the contract saying he will serve the elves until the end of his era. If he makes one mistake, then that might be his last.

   “Then tell me,” Haruka says and clenches his fist. “What should I do?”   

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next: Thoughts of a coward.


	8. Thoughts of a coward.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was beta'd by @criizbastidas on twitter!

 

 

_A dream, but he knows it might turn into a nightmare._

_He’s standing in a room. His best friend lives in this house, It’s dark outside the window. Nighttime._

_He has been here before. No actually, he has been in this_ exact _same scenario before._

_All of the furniture is placed differently than usual. The door in front of him leads to the porch of the house. It’s almost shut, but not quite, letting the fresh air and the sounds from the tranquil woods slip in. He knows a boy is on the other side of the door._

_When will the boy come inside again? He misses him._

_Time passes and he grows impatient._

_He takes a few steps forward, until he reaches the door and pushes it sideways–_

_–But the boy is not there._

_He’s gone._

_He calls his name and reaches out his hand, but he isn’t coming back._

_He calls his name again._

_And again._

_Until the faceless head of the Shadow appears in front of him and screams._

   He wakes up with tears in his eyes, his heart beating fast. He tries to collect his thoughts and remember the nightmare, but it’s useless. He doesn’t remember a thing.  

 

 

**_________________________________________________________ **

 

 

   The middle of a story might be more complicated than the start of it. As the narrator previously made clear: a start of a story could begin at the very moment existence was a thing for the first time, or thousands of years ago when the worlds first collided, or in this case, it could begin at a completely insignificant time and place. 

   A start of a story does not necessarily have to include details or a deep explanation, but simply a beginning. However, you desire so much more in the middle of the tale, or not, depending if you care at all to hear more of it.

   Let us say you do desire more. Therefore, to satisfy your thirst, let the narrator spoil some information for you:

   This story will not have an entirely happy ending. 

   This story is way too insignificant to have a hero that can save everyone and it is too insignificant to have a hero that can save no one. It is also too insignificant to only have one hero.

   But do not be sad regarding the story’s conclusion. Though ‘happy’ is a good feeling, ‘bittersweet’ is simply that much more remarkable.

   Time will show if this story is worth following from the beginning to this _end_ – and the middle part will too.  

 

 

**_________________________________________________________ **

 

 

   “Seriously, how many times do you need to hear this? Don’t just swing the blade, move your hips while doing so!”

   Rin holds his own sword, demonstrating a perfect strike towards the scarred training dummy for Makoto to copy, but Makoto is too fatigued to make it happen. He tries to do the same, but Rin clicks his tongue again and points out his flaws. Who knew he could be stricter than an actual tutor?  

   “I can’t believe Sasabe has been training you and you still can’t get a hold of this stuff. I mean… Just try to focus, ok? I know you can do it eventually.”

   Truth be told, Gourou Sasabe hasn’t had much sword fighting with Makoto yet, but mostly simple workout, without weapons, magic or anything like that at all.

   Sasabe has been tutoring Makoto during the past weeks, but from the start of this week to today, he has been absent due to a reason Makoto isn’t informed off. A retired fighter, Gorou is the most idolized tutor who most students can only dream of having a session with. Ironic how he came to be tutoring Makoto, the one who has always been the least motivated of them all.  

   The Northern nation’s recruits are to spend nine years as students, before deciding whether they wish to train to become a tutor, fighter, healer, guard or other positions suited for people wishing to avoid combat. Rin and Sousuke already knows their future is to become fighters, while the rest of Class B group 4 are still unsure, or so Makoto likes to think, as Rei and Nagisa might have come to a decision without telling him, leaving him to be the only one without a plan.

   Today’s session is soon to be over and Rin has been helping him out with the training. It’s late May. Perfect weather and colorful trees and birds are surrounding them this day, being the reason to why many students are training outside as well as them.

   The fatigued Makoto sits down on the grass and grabs his cup of water before chunking the liquid in. Rin joins him, not seeming tired at all, as he rants away his thoughts.   

   “It’s been not much longer than a week and they’re suddenly getting along well, as if the dojo has become a place for hanging out and not practicing. No joke. I mean, I get that Sousuke had a talk with him and now he knows everything about you two being soulmates and all, but it still creeps me out.”  

   “I’m glad they’re warming up to each other. You can be like that with Haru too, you know.”

   “Oh right, that’s a thing I’ve been wondering as well,” Rin says and ignores Makoto’s comment. “When and why did you start calling him ‘Haru’ anyway?”

   “He wanted me to call him by that from the start, and he never explained it, but I think I know the reason why,” Makoto says, looking at Rin teasingly. “He’s like you; shy about his girly name.”

   Rin doesn’t look very amused. “Figures.”

   Not much has happened this past week between Makoto and Haru. One day, Amakata introduced Haru to some of the fighters of the nation and according to him, it went well and he’s starting to get the hang of being a part of this world. Makoto knows he were speaking the truth, but he can’t help but worry over Haru’s mentality after he has heard all of what has happened to the previous Holy Guardians. When Makoto met Haru the day after he had told Rin the truth, Haru’s expression wasn’t sad or anything, but rather… determined. _“I understand now,”_ was all he had said after Makoto asked him if he was alright or not. It was a relief to hear that instead of curses and yelling towards their world, but still… With everything that has been going on… can Haru really be happier living here? No matter what, Makoto should make sure of that.

   “Just so you know, he does look at you a lot,” Rin says unexpectedly.

   “W-what?”  

   “All I’m saying is: if you wanted to give him a little surprise with your dreamy, sweet confession, then I think that train has already passed your lovey-dovey ass. He might already be onto the truth.”  

   For a moment, Makoto flinches his shoulders and looks around. Then he realizes his friend is just trying to mess with him, so he sighs.

   “Could we stop talking about this? Talking about it outside makes me nervous.”

   “Sure.” Rin’s voice is lower. His playful smirk isn’t going anywhere however. Somehow, a voice inside of Makoto tells him this won’t be the last time he receives this kind of teasing from his friend.

   Carrying on with the cheerful mood, Rin doesn’t tease him much further this time, only genuinely looking glad to see Makoto has found someone, pushing all of their worries behind them for now. Eventually, they just sit there in silence, watching as students are walking about not far away from them.      

   A breeze shakes the royal blue leaves around them, calmly, without haste, following Makoto’s thoughts regarding what Rin said… it’s just very hard for Makoto to comprehend it. Looking at it from a logical perspective, it’s no wonder that Haru already feels something for Makoto as their souls are after all bonded, but the thing is, all of Makoto’s feelings sometimes choose to deny all logic and create its own facts. And right now Makoto’s feelings are telling him that of course Haru isn’t interested in him yet _at all_. Besides, the only thing Makoto has done is being himself around him, not even really trying to impress him or anything like what Rin just mentioned. How could a person develop feelings for Makoto just from that?     

   “I was thinking,” Rin says, almost in a whisper. “Maybe the ideal way to let him know that your souls are bonded is to do it after the great battle.”

   Makoto looks bewildered at Rin. He doesn’t need to speak to let the other be aware of his immediate thoughts.

   “Yes, I know, it would be unbearable. Especially if it takes years before it happens. But what I meant was, people would be less afraid of Nanase after the great battle – if it turned into a success, that is – as they will have more faith in him as soon as he has proved himself as a true guardian. So telling him and being open about your relationship afterwards would be much safer.”

   Makoto despises it, but he’s got a point. Rin gets up from the ground, hinting that they should leave the place and break the session for now. Makoto raises himself up too in silence, before he mumbles, “It would be unfair for Haru to keep it a secret from him for so long.”

   Rin gives a short nod. “I get it. You do what feels best for you. I’ll stay away and won’t mess it up.”  

   They pick up their swords and leave the place, carrying the training dummy to the dojo, where the group is missing and therefore must have already left practice. Today, Rin and Sousuke has invited the others to eat dinner at their place. Makoto is always happy when they do that. Their food is a delicacy compared to the cafeteria’s. Haru will be there as well, which makes it even better as Makoto hasn’t talked to him even once today. It’s admittedly tearing him apart.

   The road towards his friends’ house is always an idyllic one. The usually glowing lanterns accompanying the way aren’t enlightened anymore, but the flowers around here are fully blooming as they should be.

   As they enter the house, Makoto can already sense the smell of food and suddenly there’s water in his mouth. He and Rin excuses themselves in, Rin heading straight for the kitchen and Makoto joining him while simultaneously looking for Haru. Sousuke is in the kitchen by himself and according to him, Nagisa and Rei are outside to bring some missing ingredients for today’s dinner. Rin leans his arm on Sousuke’s shoulder, before shooting a glance at Makoto and giving off a smirk as he asks Sousuke where Haru is. Damn it, there’s that smile again…

   “Nanase?” Sousuke is clearly surprised after hearing Rin asking that. “Last time I saw him, he was in the living room.”  

   Without giving it a second thought, Makoto swiftly leaves the two and goes for the kitchen, but…

   Haru’s not there.

   The living room is completely empty of people. There’s no one sitting on the couch, or by the kotatsu, or standing by the bookshelf or viewing the plant pots. The only sound comes from the kitchen, as Rin and Sousuke are talking, and there’s no sign of life in here.

   The room is very different from when he stayed the night here with Nagisa, Rei and Haru, now that the furniture is right on place and the futons are gone. However, one thing is the same from that time. The door to the porch is almost shut, but not quite, letting the fresh air and the sounds from the tranquil woods slip in.

  That night… He had been lying right next to the door. It was dark and he waited for Haru to come back in. But he didn’t. Makoto had slowly raised himself up and opened the door…

   But Haru wasn’t there.      

   Something deep inside of him tells him to panic. If Haru’s not there, then…

  _‘HARUKA–!’_

   Feeling a rush of anxiety, he runs through the living room and forcibly slides the door to the side.   

   Haru jumps and turns around. He looks up at the flustered Makoto, his usually doll-like expression in bewilderment. He’s sitting right there on the porch, hanging his feet from the edge.  

   Makoto pauses, his chest rising and falling rapidly. Seconds passes with the only thing audible being his sudden hasty breath and birds chirping from the woods.   

   “…You’re here…”

   It’s a rare sight, but Haru almost looks concerned.

   “Makoto…?”

   How long has it been since he heard him call his name? Only a day or two? Anyway, it’s too long, and now Makoto takes a deep breath and sighs.

   They hear Rin’s muffled shout coming from the kitchen, “Something happened over there?”  

   “Ah… No, it’s fine!”

   Another second passes and Makoto is just standing there awkwardly. He decides to sit down beside Haru – his blue flaming soul glowing in life as ever – who still seem puzzled.

   “I-I’m sorry if I scared you, I don’t know what I just–“

   “Déjà vu,” Haru suddenly mumbles.

   “Huh?”

   “I felt a déjà vu,” he continues, looking down at the grass. “Though I’m not sure why.”

   Haru looks up again and meets Makoto’s glance. It shocks Makoto a bit, as he hadn’t notice how close they are. Like his soul, the blue color in his eyes are well and alive, giving off the peaceful vibe he has so missed. Haru blinks, probably noticing Makoto’s confused expression after what he had just said.

   “Oh right, you wouldn’t know what that means, would you.”  

   After Makoto asks him to, Haru calmly explains the expression ‘déjà vu’ to him, and he genuinely finds it interesting. So there is a language in the human world called ‘French’, and that’s where the words ‘déjà vu’ comes from, huh. _And they have more than one language?!_

   But now that Haru mentioned it, Makoto thinks he felt it too. Perhaps that’s why he freaked out so much, he was just too reminded of that night when Haru wasn’t on the porch after all. Or was it something else that drove him to panic?

   Haru returns quiet and gazes at the forest. The trees here are different now as it’s warmer, making the woods thicker. Makoto prefers it that way. It feels safer to not be able to see through the forest from where his recent nightmares started. He thinks this out loud, about him having nightmares since then, and that he has never been capable of remembering his dreams. Haru doesn’t say anything and remains staring soundlessly at the nature.     

   Maybe it’s for the best to not talk about it, Makoto figures, and then he lets the silence speak for him too. The ticking sound from the creeks between and beneath the rocks accompanies their presences, until someone walks behind them with sneaky footsteps.   

   “Hey cuties, dinner’s ready,”

   A startled Makoto and puzzled Haru turns around to see Rin standing by the door, leaning his weight on one leg.

   “ _What_ did you just call us?”

   “Don’t you come to me and complain about nicknames, _Nanase_.”

   Carrying a little sneer, Haru gets up without a sound. Makoto follows, and when he passes Rin, he tries to give him his most threatening glare to tell him to back off with the teasing, but Rin’s grin only grows wider.   

   Nagisa and Rei have returned, and everyone is now sitting by the dining table. Sousuke’s food is delicious as per usual and Haru seems to frown less than he has previously done when tasting elvish food. Their subject of conversation is Rin’s meeting with King Seijuro that will find occurrence tomorrow. They still don’t know anything about why Rin has been called in, only that he was ordered to bring his sword to the Northern nation’s castle. Sousuke says he suspects that the king must have heard of his skills with the sword and wants to see the real deal. Rin doesn’t reply to that.   

   “Good news, everyone!” Rei suddenly announces with a smile. Seems like he’s been waiting for the right moment to announce the news or whatever is coming next, as he was completely quiet while eating until now, “Using the power of my position, I have been able to reserve a whole day’s session of archery!”

   “Sneaky Rei-chan!” Nagisa cheers.

   “Very sneaky, indeed! Ha-ha-ha!”    

   Perhaps Rei considers that ‘using his position’ is breaking the rules, which he most likely never has done in his entire life. He must find doing this exciting, and even for Makoto, that’s kind of adorable.

   “Good job Rei,” Makoto says, knowing how excited Rei must be to spend more time doing his hobby. “When is it reserved?”

   “Already tomorrow! Ah, that means Rin-senpai won’t be able to be there, I’m sorry I couldn’t make it for another day.”

   “Don’t think about, I’d rather be at the dojo anyway,” Rin says with food stuffed in his mouth.

   Rei looks relieved, until Sousuke leans forward and says, “I’ll be accompanying Rin to the meeting, so I won’t be there as well.”

   So Sousuke will meet the king too… Makoto wonders what Rin thinks about that, and just as he thought, he doesn’t seem too happy about it while he eats in silence. He doesn’t object though, so they must have already discussed over whether Sousuke should join or not.

   Makoto looks at Rei and gives off an apologetic smile.

   “I won’t be joining either, unfortunately. I’d love to, but Sasabe is coming back, and I need to prioritize my training with him.”

   “I see,” Rei says and turns to Haru. “Then, if Haruka-senpai wishes to join, it will just be us three.”

   “I’ll join,” Haru says, bringing his bowl of food closer to his mouth.

   “Yippee!” Nagisa beams. “You’ll get to see how amazing Rei-chan is with the bow!”  

   Nagisa isn’t exaggerating one bit, Rei truly is talented, even if he won’t admit so himself. Indeed, Makoto would love to join the archery practice. Feeling his chest growing warmer, he wonders how Haru will look while trying it…

 

 

**_________________________________________________________ **

 

 

   When Haruka first heard about the archery classes, this wasn’t exactly what he had expected.

   Though he has only tried archery once back in the human world, he is quite familiar with the sport. However… this doesn’t look anything like what he is used to. Perhaps he should have expected it, but still…

   This kind of archery has a lot more _magic_ to it.  

   They appear to be further south in the nation and this outdoor area is huge. There are many adults around; some of them strict tutors, others menacing fighters. Graduated students of the nation, the fighters are here to train some more before going out to the fields to hunt down Shadows. Nagisa tells Haruka this as they pass these people.  

   Haruka can easily spot the difference between the fighters and everyone else. Their attires are consisted by shaggy, blood red coveralls and they are carrying heavy yet determined expressions, none of them joking around, only focusing on their simple yet challenging tasks. 

   What he is truly taken aback by however, is their archery system. Most of the targets are cloth dummies that almost look alive – they fly around and closer towards the attacker, and it’s speed is insane. The arrows aren’t anything usual for Haruka either, as when they hit the enemy they explode, leaving nothing of the dummy left.  

   It’s extremely noisy, to the point where it’s barely bearable for Haruka, until they eventually reach an area where there are less adults and more students – most of them seeming to be of a younger age. Here, the teenagers are aiming for targets that doesn’t move and their bows don’t carry any magical formulas, which may be less exciting, but fortunate for Haruka’s ears.

   “Rei-kun! Nagisa-kun! Welcome!”

   Someone that must be the most elderly-looking elf Haruka has seen so far walks towards them. It’s a woman with deep wrinkles and long, fuzzy hair going in all directions – someone that looks like they shouldn’t go around here in this place, or go outside at all. Despite her shabby appearance, she’s walking with her back straight and a beaming smile curling her chapped lips.

   “Good day, Fujimori-sensei.” Rei and Nagisa bows and Haruka clumsily copies their gesture.  

   The wide smile from her face doesn’t vanish, or move, at all, as her eyes gazes over Haruka, making her teeth showing even more.

   “Oh my, it’s an honor to meet you in person, Haruka-kun!”

   She reaches out her hand and Haruka stares at it for a moment.

   _What is she doing?_

   Startled by her overly-friendly introduction and how she recognized him the second she saw him, he awkwardly exchanges glances with Rei and Nagisa, who seems neither bothered or weirded out at all, leaving Haruka in an unfair position, or so does he think.

   It seems like… she wants to shake hands. What kind of elf introduces themselves by shaking hands?!

   Not understanding the scene at all, Haruka slowly takes hold of the woman’s hand, whom smile isn’t going anywhere. To keep his etiquette, he bows while shaking her hand, before letting go and escaping her firm grip.

   “Haruka-kun, meeting another human is always wonderful!”

   Haruka’s body freezes. Is she… one of the Holy Guardians?

   “You’re not a…?”

   “Ah no,” the woman called Fujimori exposes her elf ear by moving some of her massive hair aside. “But my dearest friend was one of your kind, Haruka-kun, therefore I’m quite familiar with your manners.”

   Well, that she’s an elf makes sense. He has seen photos of the previous Holy Guardians so often that it would be hard not to recognize one. Though, it wouldn’t surprise him if she happened to stand out from the others like he does, taken her… character.

   What truly doesn’t make sense is her manner of shaking hands. And did she imply that shaking hands is a part of all humans’ etiquette? That isn’t true at all. Just where did the humans she have met come from? And why did she meet _them_?

   “This will be Haruka-senpai’s first archery session,” Rei says to Fujimori. “We’re quite excited to start the practice.”

   “Of course, Rei-kun!” Her gigantic smile has yet to fade away. “Your booth is all ready and set, therefore you can go ahead as you please, Rei-kun, Nagisa-kun and Haruka-kun!”  

   They bid goodbyes and break ways, her wide and open smile remaining on her face as she looks after them. Fujimori seems nothing but friendly, but Haruka’s hand feels weird after the sudden handshake. He’s confused to say the least.   

   They arrive at a booth empty of people. Rei picks up quivers and bows when Nagisa steals a glance behind them before leaning towards Haruka. 

   “Fujimori-sensei is famous for falling in love with a Holy Guardian, or… infamous…” His voice is so low it almost becomes a whisper. “The thing is, she couldn’t see the human’s soul, and the human was already in love with someone else from their home world. It happened decades before neither of us were born, but rumors says she’s still yearning for her unrequited love, despite her not having a soulmate. That rarely to never happens. I mean, love is destined, right? It must be miserable to fall in eternal love over someone you never can be with. It’s so sad.”   

   That does sound quite strange indeed… and tragic.

   “How old is she?”

   “Huh, I’m not sure, but she must have passed at least eighty years. Nobody knows why she’s still here tutoring archery, but she’s nice right? And so fit for her age! So I’m happy for her company!”

   Rei hands over a bow each for Haruka and Nagisa. Haruka confesses that he hasn’t tried this very often before, which Rei seems to be already aware of. He starts by showing how it’s done, followed by Nagisa, who’s fairly skilled with the bow as well. It’s fun to just watch them aim and shoot at the target for a while, before Haruka gives it a try. The bow is way heavier than he expected. He’s not even close to the others’ level and misses the target all the time at first. Both Nagisa and Rei give him advice for how long he should extend his arm and how to stand and aim properly. “Don’t hold your aim for too long, otherwise your arms will get shaky.” It’s not until Rei tells him to find his stability from when he trains aikido with the sword, that Haruka’s aim greatly improves.   

   Hitting close to the middle of the target is exceptionally satisfying and he is gradually getting the hang of it, though his fingers are becoming soar. After something that must be an hour, Nagisa walks over to another booth where Haruka thinks he recognizes that boy he once met named Aichirou. They are not far away and he can hear Aichirou being startled by Nagisa and his sudden hug.  

   Rei is helping Haruka holding his grip around the bow correctly. His instructions are good and he obviously knows exactly what he’s talking about. Haruka has to admit that the activity is thrilling, but he can’t picture himself feeling just as excited as Rei seemingly does. He lowers the bow and turns to him.

   “Why do you like archery?”

   Rei freezes. Haruka didn’t expect him to, but he has suddenly turned completely speechless. When their eyes meet, Rei is quick to clear his throat and pushes his glasses slightly up.

   “I haven’t been questioned that for a while. For many years, actually.”

   He averts his eyes to a quiver bearing some arrows, fidgeting with his fingers.

   “I suppose it’s the beauty of it that appeals to me, but… truth is, there is a person who buried the passion within me. It’s beginning to be a while ago, they were the last person to ask me why I preferred archery.”

   Haruka expects that to be Nagisa, or a family member, but Rei instead talks about his first tutor that looked after him after he was recruited.

   “She was like a mother to me. She taught me how beautiful the circle of life is, and the purpose of why we hunt and protect ourselves, and how we can find beauty and perfection in archery as well.”  

   Sounds like he’s kept many parts of her wisdom. Rei smiles shyly.

   “Before I met Nagisa, I didn’t have anyone to rely on here except from her. There’s too many laughable memories from her training sessions than there are to count.”

   “Have I met her?” Haruka asks.

   Rei frowns, suddenly acting uptight. He shakes his head. A second passes and he takes a step closer to the stand holding more bows and tools, facing away from Haruka and everyone.  

   “I was with her during the day of the Great Battle,” he says, lacking his usual sentiment in his tone. “She was killed.”

   Haruka doesn’t know what to say.

   Rei rubs his palm on his face, trying to hide something that could be tears. “I saw it happen… right before my eyes…”

   He might be recalling memories that he hasn’t talked about for a long time. Along with Nagisa, Rei always seems so filled with positivity compared to his other friends. A part of Haruka has forgotten how much they both must have suffered as well as Matsuoka and Yamazaki, and it frustrates him that he has no idea how to help it.  

   A sob escapes Rei’s breath, followed by a chuckle.

   “Heh, look at me, growing all emotional in front of you. Please excuse me.”

   Haruka takes a step closer to him so he’s able to see his face. There’s nothing to excuse him for, let alone chuckle about.

   “You are strong, Rei.”

   He attempts to smile, but his weeping only draws it as a grimace.

   “Thank you, Haruka-senpai.” 

 

 

   Throughout the passing of this long day, Haruka is longing for company.

_Strange._

   It is indeed _very_ strange, because he has always been fine on his own, his lone thoughts has always been enough, but now there’s suddenly something that he feels like is missing. A strange feeling bottles up inside of him and there’s no escape from it neither during when the sun is up or down.   

   For as long has he can remember, he has always awakened up from his sleep with tears in his eyes. He considered it a normal thing as a child, until his grandma found out and proved him wrong. Her concerned eyes had quietly observed him for a while, before she had presumed in a mumble – expecting he couldn’t hear her – that this was a cause of his parents’ death.   

   He didn’t like that thought. At all. And no matter how much he appreciates his late grandma and her usually wise words, he’s sure she was wrong. Thing is though, he’s not sure were that certainty comes from and he has little to no idea of what else could be the reason of this strange habit.   

   Yesterday, he had been talking to Makoto on the porch outside Matsuoka and Yamazaki’s residence. For a moment, Makoto had mentioned having nightmares and waking up with tears every morning, that it has always been like that, which is… weird. Haruka doesn’t know whether or not it was comforting to hear how Makoto wakes up the same as he does, as he has never heard anyone else talk about that before. He wanted to add something himself, but he blames his awkward tongue for not speaking his mind.     

   The more he dwells on these thoughts, the more the yearning creeps on him. He has parted ways with Nagisa and Rei after their archery lesson, heading to his residence, and what Rei told him earlier is swimming about in his mind as well.

   After two months of living in the elves’ nation, the Northern nation’s Group 4 in Class B are finally beginning to open up to each other about their pasts. However, Makoto has never gone exactly deep into details about his. Then again, Haruka hasn’t either.  

   Haruka grunts and presses his palm against his forehead.

   _Damn it._

   He’s thinking about him again. 

   Just what is he doing…?

   Lately, he’s been thinking about Makoto. A lot. He has been on his mind every day, and even though he can never recall his dreams, it feels like he can’t fully rest from the thoughts at night either. He has a bad feeling about this…

   “Haru?”

   Startled, Haruka comes back to his senses and removes his hand, looking up at the concerned figure walking towards him.

   That’s right, he’s not far away from his house and has stopped in the middle of the street like a weirdo. And someone is witness to this. That someone being the boy he was just trying not to think about. Fantastic.

   “Haru? Are you ok?” 

   “I’m fine.”

   Makoto stands still, frowning just in that Makoto-way, nearly pouting as he demands the truth with a “Really?”

   Haruka shifts his gaze. “…I’m hungry.”

   He doesn’t know why he gave in. He knows deep down however, that the fact that he’s hungry isn’t the only reason for his sudden strange behavior.

   Makoto smiles nonetheless, just in the Makoto-way. “I take it you must have worked hard today with Rei and Nagisa. Do you want to eat together?”

   ‘Yes’, he wants to say right away, but he doesn’t know why, he feels like answering so fast and simple would be too straightforward. Wait – what is he thinking? Just answer!    

   “It’s fine by me.”  

   “Great!”

   Perhaps it doesn’t make much sense, but Makoto fortunately seems to not pay too much attention to Haruka’s unusual behavior.   

   They both agree to not eat at the cafeteria and it doesn’t take more than a couple minutes for them to reach his residence. Haruka goes ahead with making the dinner right away, he wants Makoto to taste mackerel again; his hands go automatic as he’s about to perform his so familiar cooking. 

   He has only put on his apron and taken out some kitchen utensils when Makoto comes to a halt next to him, he leans over and peers into the pan before them.   

   “Mind me watching how you do it?”

   “Sure,” Haruka answers and immediately regrets it. The word ‘sure’ doesn’t apply as a correct answer anyway, damn it!

   He shakes his head – as if that will help him get rid of his thoughts – and makes Makoto help him bring over the right ingredients. Remembering that they once talked about the possibility of him teaching Makoto how to cook, Haruka blossoms with ideas for tasks Makoto can handle.

   If… he can handle it.  

   “Uwahh, uh, Haru! I think I’m doing this wrong!”

   It only takes a moment for him to remember that Makoto mentioned he is a horrible cook. And to be fair… he does seem extremely inexperienced in the field.

   At first, he can’t even hold the knife correctly, leaving him for chopping the vegetables turns into a big ‘nope’ after a couple attempts, but Haruka patiently guides him with every step.

   “I’m sorry, I won’t be of much help after all… But I can help with creating heat!”

   “Yeah, you can learn how to use the oven.”

   “Wha– well, I meant creating heat with magic, but… good idea!”

   Makoto’s need for help isn’t bothering. On the contrary, it feels good to return the favor at last. Makoto has taught him so much about this world and now Haruka can finally teach him more about his. And it’s all _especially_ worth it when they’re done. Makoto’s face is priceless as he sniffs the scent, and gazes at the finished food proudly. They eat quietly, only accompanied with the sound of a howling wind outside.  

   “Its flavor is just as amazing as last time, Haru!”

   “Of course.” Haruka swallows his food and continues saying aloud his thoughts before he regrets it. “Thank you for your help.”

   “It was my pleasure… Though I wasn’t much of a help, was I?”

   He tried his best, that should be enough, Haruka thinks. Another thing is, Makoto is constantly trying to involve himself in his interests, just like what he has been doing now. He can’t remember the last time anyone has done that for him. So really, it’s pointless of Makoto to act so humble now.

   “At least I got to teach you how you do it,” he decides to answer in the end.

   “You think you can teach me more sometime?” Makoto asks.

   “Hm, alright. I’ll be stricter with you then.”  

   “How mean,” Makoto says jokingly, taking another bite of the fish.

    Later, Haruka insists on cleaning the table by himself and lets Makoto rest in the nearest living room. The latter is a guest, after all, though Haruka is not sure for how long he’s planning to stay here. Somehow, just standing here cleaning the cutlery, knowing that Makoto is only a couple rooms away, makes him feel at ease, so much that he almost doesn’t want to stop cleaning the bowl in his hands, as it would mean too much time has passed and Makoto would have to leave. They did talk about doing this again, he wonder when that will be. Perhaps they’ll already repeat this tomorrow. He hopes so.   

   “AH!”

   Suddenly, Haruka hears a scream from beyond the wall. He loses the grip of the bowl as well as his peaceful thoughts.

    It’s Makoto. And he continues to scream.

   “HELP!”

   Haruka’s body flinches. His feet are already moving away from the counter and he runs towards the sound, shouting Makoto’s name and sensing shivers crawling down his spine, as well as his thundering heartbeats. Time doesn’t feel real anymore as he reaches the living room and breaks through the door.

   “ _Makoto!_ ”

   Makoto yelps. It does only take a second before Haruka realizes that _he_ was the one startling Makoto by shouting his name just now. Then another second passes, and the situation quickly dawns on Haruka.

   There’s a gigantic bug on the floor.

    _What…_

   Makoto stands close to the wall, biting his teeth together and looking wide eyed at Haruka. Haruka looks wide eyed at him back.

   “…What are you doing?”

   Makoto gulps and points at the bug.

   “I-insect.”

   Haruka blinks, too shocked to reply right away.

   “…Is it dangerous?”

   “Well, not necessarily…”

   Haruka sighs, bowing his head and feeling dizzy. It was just a bug. _A bug._ He doesn’t know what he expected. Did he really think Makoto was in serious danger between these walls?  

   He straightens his back and walks towards the insect. It’s huge, must be about the size of a tiny dog. Hadn’t it been for its thin wings and ant-like head then he would’ve mistaken it for a mammal. He has never seen any kind of insect of this size before, so it’s not surprising how Makoto got so startled just now. Though really, how the hell did this thing come in here?  

   He stops in front of this… _thing_ , and suddenly he recalls a memory of Amakata warning him about some kind of bugs having intruded this house before. The insect is crawling slowly towards a stool, and though Haruka is far from scared of it, he finds it nasty. Time to get this out of his house.

   He turns to Makoto, who still looks startled.

   “You’re not a fan of insects?”

   He shakes his head, his whole body quivering. His fear must be bad.  

   “Why don’t you just use your magic powers or whatever to kill it?” Haruka asks, and that’s when Makoto’s expression turns from scared to offended.  

   “What? No! We don’t have to kill it! It has a life after all! Just… get it out of the house…”    

   Haruka is bewildered to say the least. Makoto wants to spare the life of this ugly-looking thing that got him so terrified just now. Or… perhaps Haruka is at fault for not recognizing the life of an innocent being.  

   Somehow, he finds himself smiling. He tries to brush it away with his hand before he goes back to the hallway, looking for something that could be of help. In not long, he finds a shovel from the cupboard and brings himself back to the living room, where Makoto hasn’t moved even a tiny bit from the wall.

   “Have you dealt with any of these before?”  

   Makoto looks away, his ears growing red. “Err, I’ve always made others take them out for me... I just don’t like the sight of it.”

   “I see.”

   Haruka takes a step closer to the insect and attempts shoving the shovel under it.

   “B-be careful! If you’re not, it’ll start flying! A-and if it starts flying, it might create lightning!”  

   _Wha– LIGHTNING?!_

   “I thought you said it wasn’t dangerous!”

   “I said _‘not necessarily’_!”

   Leaving a frustrated sigh, Haruka lifts up the heavy bug with the shovel as slow as he can while the other whimpers. He walks towards the nearest window. 

   “Open it,” he commands and Makoto impulsively walks away from his position and pushes the window open in haste.    

   Haruka grunts as he lifts the shovel higher and the bug moves itself – it has been bothered too much. In a snippet of a second, Haruka notices this and pushes the shovel out the window with all his might. The bug stretches out its wings and flies away with an enormous buzzing sound, making Makoto yelp louder than ever as he quickly jumps back. Haruka drops the shovel down on the floor as soon as the heavy weight is gone.

   That was close. If he had been any slower, then the insect would have turned right back in, but now it’s gone. Completely baffled by this creature he never knew existed, he looks back to Makoto and finally takes in his startled expression. Makoto squints his eyes and his hands are still covering his face, until he slowly looks through the gaps between his fingers and shares eye contact with the other.  

   Haruka’s lips twitches.

   “Pff…”

   He laughs. Covering his mouth with one hand while doing so. It’s inevitable, he simply can’t hold his amusement in. Makoto’s face is just that priceless, though it changes suddenly however, as the previous frightened yet endearing expression has gone. Now he’s instead astonished.      

   The next moment, Haruka quickly realizes what he is doing and stops himself. He straightens his back and clears his throat, not knowing what to do. Makoto isn’t saying anything. And wait… is he blushing?

   Haruka keeps a hold of himself and frowns. “…Why are you looking at me like that?”

   “Eh?” Wide eyed, Makoto takes his time seemingly to find the right words. His ears are totally red. “I – I just! I’ve… never heard you laugh before.”

   Somehow, Haruka can sense his cheek growing warm as well. He quickly averts his eyes way, praying to whatever gods to not let the other one notice.

   “Hmpf… Of course I’d laugh sometimes,” he mumbles. “I’m a human after all, not a robot.”      

   A few seconds passes. Why did Makoto turn so quiet? Was it that weird and unpredictable to hear him laugh? Now when he’s thinking about it, the fact that he has just shown him this side of him is extremely embarrassing. Though… to be honest… it did feel kind of good.   

   Out of nowhere, Makoto tilts his head.

   “What’s a ‘robot’?”

   Haruka turns back to him, taken aback by the sudden question. “You don’t know?”

   Makoto shakes his head. “Ah… now I feel stupid for not knowing.”

   “It’s not stupid of you, stupid,” Haruka says shortly.

   He goes to the couch and let’s himself down. Makoto follows, his eyes clearly interested in hearing about this strange human-thing, and he swiftly uses a formula to lighten up the fireplace across them. He keeps the attentive face of his locked and Haruka can’t believe that he for a second finds it _cute_. He quickly yet discreetly rubs his face to distract himself from that thought.    

   “A robot is a machine created by humans that can do human-like things, I guess,” he tells him. “It’s a part of the still-developing human technology.”  

   “A machine?”

   “Yes,” Haruka says. He continues going into details about robots, about how they can work for humans and how they are growing more and more complicated and intelligent.

   “So if robots are able to do things that you can do, then can’t they laugh as well?” Makoto asks.   

   “I guess.”

   “But then what you said about not being a robot doesn’t make any sense!”

   “It’s just something you say! Don’t read too much into it.”   

   Makoto looks confused. Haruka doesn’t blame him, he has never had to explain the concept of robots to anyone before, so he clearly isn’t good at it. He leans back on the couch, reflecting on what he just said and hums shortly.

   “Though some robots can laugh, I guess they’d need artificial feelings and intelligence to be able to truly find something funny. There’s many theories and stories that focuses on that, saying that if we give the robots too much intelligence they might try to take control and destroy all human life.”

   “What?!” Makoto flinches his shoulders. “That can happen?!”

   “Possibly.”

   “That’s horrible!”

   “Yeah, but we might encounter another apocalypse before that happens.”

   “T-There are more apocalypses?!”  

   “Oh yeah. There are lots of them, let me tell you.” Haruka tries his best to hide the silly smirk on his face. “There’s the one where we die of the sun, or the aliens, or zombies, or humankind itself, or maybe there’s some deadly beings at the depth of the deepest ocean that we have yet to discover that’s plotting the world’s demise.”    

   Makoto grabs a pillow behind him and hugs it as he’s speaking. Their knees touches as he instinctively moves in closer. Haruka isn’t used to talk this much in one setting, but it’s worth it, seeing Makoto’s reaction. Maybe he shouldn’t joke too much however, for Makoto looks more sad than startled now. Before Haruka can react fast enough to tell him he’s only half-joking, Makoto glances down with a heavy look.    

   “Well here… there’s only one apocalypse. The prophecy tells that we’ll either be gifted with the light bearer and eventually live in peace, or, if not, then the Shadows will take over and we’ll live in eternal darkness. No robots. Just darkness. What scares me is that our prophecies have never been wrong before, so there’s still a possibility…”   

   Haruka bites his lip. Makoto’s current face is different again. Not startled by a harmless insect, or surprised by what Haruka has to say, but his eyes are cloudy again, revealing a deeper fear that has been constantly evident ever since Haruka’s first encounter with a Shadow.   

   The human world shall one day die, but presumably not soon, and not by horrifying, restless monsters that is the Shadows.   

   “I don’t understand,” Haruka says. Makoto raises his head and meets his stare with questionable eyes. “If you’re going to vanish, why not make the other world remember you? Why not involve yourself with the humans more to mark your existence? The human world could rescue you, or just keep you in the history books, so you’d never die out completely, but your king decides to let his people blend in with the Shadows.”

   Haruka stops, realizing that he’s talked way too much. He looks away. “It’s just stupid.”    

   “You’re right,” Makoto says, hugging the pillow harder. “Sousuke and Rin have pointed that out as well.”

   Besides, Haruka thinks. He won’t let them meet their end any time soon. It feels like he has already made enough mistakes for a lifetime and he can’t afford to make another one while trying to assist the people he was destined to assist. More determined than ever, Haruka wants to protect them using all his might.

   “I’ll help you,” he says under his breath.

   He can feel the silent stare from the other, before that tender voice says, “You’re brave, Haru.”

   Flustered, Haruka moves his legs and surrounds them with his arms. Already embarrassed enough and not able to think clearly, he blurts out: “Not like you.”

   “What? Me?” Makoto chuckles. “You saw me just now. I’m your typical coward.”  

   “You’re not a coward,” Haruka says suddenly, before returning calmer. “Don’t deny it after you have saved my life.”

   Who in the world has made Makoto think of himself as a coward? Replaying the scene that played before Haruka’s eyes weeks ago, only bravery could nearly describe Makoto’s actions that night he saved themselves from the Shadow. It’s just plain wrong to even assume that the same person isn’t incredibly brave at heart.  

   “If you say so,” Makoto sighs.  

   The wood in the fireplace crackles, reminding them both of the world outside their conversation as well as the theory of time. This day has been rather special. Haruka met this stranger Fujimori and was witness to Rei’s agony over his past and now his here, talking about anything to everything with Makoto. It’s dark outside the window. The clock on the wall reads eleven pm.    

   “Oh, it’s late,” Makoto mumbles, before smiling at Haruka. “Time flew by without me noticing.”

   Haruka hesitates replying for a few seconds, unsure if he wants to let the other go out the door.

   “You don’t like walking in the dark, do you?”

   Makoto frowns while attempting keeping his smile intact. He shakes his head. “No I don’t.”  

   “Then, you don’t have to,” Haruka says and a surprised expression replaces Makoto’s smile. “You can stay over the night, it’d take no time to fix a bed for you.”

   It’s not after the words comes out of his mouth that Haruka feels sweat on his hands. Would Makoto even want to sleep over? It doesn’t seem like he would mind, for his eyes gleams and he genuinely seems grateful.  

   “Really? Thank you.” Makoto looks down at his twiddling thumbs. “Oh, but now I remember I had it scheduled to be in my room by now so Rei could deliver something he borrowed from me. It was a book. I must have left him hanging.”

   Haruka sinks his shoulders, figuring that’s a decline of the offer. However, Makoto quickly looks his way again.         

   “But… it’s too late now, so… I can stay.”

   Haruka nods. _Stop feeling weird about this, damn it!_

   What he had said earlier was true, as preparing the bed in the bedroom opposite to him takes only a minute, and soon everything is ready. He asks Makoto if he wants to borrow some clothes for the night as they’re standing in the guest room, but the latter declines the offer, explaining that he doesn’t use pajamas now that it’s warmer. Suddenly Haruka feels weird, so he decides it’s time to go to his own bed, but just as he turns around, Makoto continues speaking.  

   “I’m happy I got to spend time with you tonight, Haru. I’ve never heard you talk so much before… and laugh. It was nice.”   

   Haruka isn’t sure what to do. He awkwardly turns around, gives a short nod and mumbles a simple, “Yeah, sleep well.”  

   The soft Makoto-smile appears again. “You too, good night.”

   Haruka slowly closes the door for Makoto and goes to his bedroom, feeling dizzy. The last thing he notices before falling unconscious on his bed is his fast, banging heartbeat.   

 

 

   He wakes up calmly and automatically rubs his eyes.

  _…_

   _Strange._

_Wait. No seriously. What the hell. This is weird as fuck!_

   He sits up in his bed, feeling his face.

   There are no tears.  

   Why? When was even the last time this happened? He doesn’t remember. Time went by so fast while he was unconscious… did he even sleep? Oh, yes he did, the light piercing through the window and curtains is proof enough that it’s morning.   

   It doesn’t feel like he was sleeping restless either. None of the recurring nightmares this time… It’s like an invisible, extremely heavy burden has finally gone off his back. Is this really how people normally wake up?   

   At first, Haruka doesn’t know what to do. He is used to spend a couple minutes drying his tears away and try to picture the distant images from his dreams or nightmares in his mind, but this morning he doesn’t have the need to do any of that. After simply staring puzzled in the air for a while, he decides to get out of bed and start the day.  

   “I can’t remember ever having slept as good as I did last night! The bed was so comfy! What about you, Haru?”

   Makoto expresses this as they eat breakfast together and Haruka is hesitant with how to react to this coincidence. He tries to focus on the taste of food rather than his confusing thoughts.   

   _Strange._

   It’s not until they are on their way out the house, heading over to today’s training session, that Haruka realizes that he forgot to take his usual morning bath. How could he possibly forget the importance of feeling the water?! 

   Makoto talks during almost all the way to the dojo and Haruka doesn’t mind. It’s so much better than their walks together the week after they were attacked by the Shadow – the silence would just ball up the guilt in his stomach. This time however, Makoto talks about a letter he received from his family not long ago, about his little twin siblings and their everyday life in the Southern nation.

   Everyone in their group have already started training when they reach the dojo, and all eyes are on them as they enter.  

   “There you two are, I was starting to think you were both skipping practice,” Matsuoka says and grabs a cup of water.  

   “Oh thank the heavens, I was worried!” Rei scuttles towards Makoto and Haruka. “Makoto-senpai, where were you last night? I knocked on your door to give back your book like we talked about, but you didn’t answer.”

   Makoto smiles apologetically. “Ah, I’m really sorry, Rei! I was sleeping over at Haru’s, you see.”

   In all of a sudden, someone coughs hysterically. Startled, the others look at Matsuoka who has choked on his water. A confused Yamazaki pats his back and helps him stop coughing.  

   Nagisa – who was standing not far away from the scene – completely ignores Matsuoka’s wellbeing and runs towards him for an obvious different reason. “Now when everyone’s here, can’t you tell us about your meeting with the king? Rin-chan!”   

   “Oh right,” Matsuoka wheezes before he clears his throat. Is he giving Haruka a weird look or is he just imagining it?

   Matsuoka’s sum up of the meeting is a bit anti-climactic for the others at first, though the reason behind King Seijuro’s sudden invitation is still worth pointing out. Apparently, the king has heard rumors about Matsuoka’s outstanding abilities with the sword and wanted to see his skills for himself, exactly what Yamazaki had foretold. So they had a duel.     

   Redhead becomes grumpy all of a sudden. “I lost.”

   Everyone freezes in shock, except from Yamazaki who must have watched this happen. Haruka hasn’t viewed much of the other groups in this nation’s training, so he wouldn’t know how far ahead Matsuoka and his soulmate are compared to the others, but he already knows they’re incredibly skilled in battle. Just how much has King Seijuro spent his life training? And what about the prince?

   “Turns out the former king raised no wimps; I have never seen anyone on that level around his age.” After that, the other boys expect him to go on with the story, but he says nothing more and Haruka can’t quite figure out what kind of face he’s pulling.

   “What followed was the unexpected part,” Yamazaki continues instead for him. “He treated us for dinner, saying it was the least he could do after what his father had done to us, before he came with a serious apology.”

   King Seijuro… apologized? Perhaps he actually hides an extreme amount of guilt behind his debonair façade. 

   “So you’re saying,” Rei utters. “That King Seijuro seems to be a faithful ally?”

   “Don’t get your hopes up,” Matsuoka snarls. “He hasn’t done any changes in the guards regime yet, and who knows what’s going on with the still open examinations.”

   “I doubt it’ll be easy for the king to change any of that when he’s only about our age,” Rei comments. “His consultant is most presumably his handler at this point anyway.”  

   Matsuoka turns away, seeming fed up enough by this conversation. “I won’t fall for a simple apology and some fancy food.”

   Haruka despises the thought, but he can see some truth in what Matsuoka is saying. Still, from what he heard, his apology very much sounds like a positive sign. This world could be already changing for the better thanks to the king. 

   Later when they have all started their training, Haruka caught Matsuoka muttering something similar to “What if he actually took my advice seriously…”

   “What did you say?” Haruka asks. Matsuoka’s words seems completely out of place, especially after their latest conversation.      

   “Mind your own business, Nanase!”   

   He continues being even more aggressive in his fighting today as he duels against Haruka. Why is Matsuoka suddenly so mad at him? Haruka thought they were finally warming up to each other, but apparently not.

   While redhead is his usual pissed-off-self, Haruka can’t concentrate at all on practice and thinks only of his visit last night. For some reason, the images of Makoto being startled by the insect and Haruka’s laugh, the way he nervously hugged the pillow from the apocalypse talk and the way he quietly wished goodnight is stuck in his mind. That night is only for the two of them to remember, and thinking that just makes the memories even more special.

   He stops moving after a while and Matsuoka yells at him, but this time Haruka is too shocked to get angry back.

   _This is a problem, isn’t it._

   He shouldn’t be thinking these things.    

   He’s so much in his own head even on his way home, that it feels like only five seconds passes on the way from the dojo to his residence. He didn’t even notice the guards standing outside and he hastily closes the door after him and leans his back on it.

   It’s weird to be here alone now without Makoto.

   Haruka buries his head in his hands and exhales deeply.

   _Shit, this is a problem._

   That guy just won’t get out of his mind. It shouldn’t be like this. He shouldn’t be having a silly crush like this – Haruka grunts, he just admitted it to himself.

   _I don’t just admire him as a friend, do I…_

   No. No, no, no! This is stupid, utterly stupid! He knows he should stop thinking like this… but he can’t.  

   It’s just that it feels like Makoto can truly see through him, he understands him and they share moments that Haruka has never shared before. Haruka feels like he has a fair understanding of him too. It gives him the feeling of… being safe, of wanting to spend every hour together, of feeling breathless when apart, of feeling like he has waited his whole life just to spend the night that he just did yesterday.

   It feels like… they were destined to meet.

   That’s a even more corny and silly thought and Haruka thinks he hates it, but… recalling how they first met, how Makoto helped him and how it’s so _easy_ to talk to him, he might just start to believe in that destiny-bullshit.

   That thought shatters immediately.  

   Makoto… he most probably has a soulmate somewhere…

   He stated that his soul isn’t bonded with anyone yet, so he will surely meet that person one day, the person that can see his soul, protect him and make him happy. Haruka should be happy for that. That soulmate-stuff makes people happy here, so Makoto will be happy, therefore Haruka should be happy for him too.  

   Haruka has moved upstairs to his bedroom. He’s standing between his bed and the bookshelf on the wall. This was the room where he met Makoto for the second time, wasn’t it…

   But if Makoto and Haruka’s souls aren’t bonded together… then why does Haruka have these feelings? That shouldn’t happen, right? It’s unfair that he has these thoughts. The story about that lady named Fujimori comes to mind. Does Haruka have a similar future to her?

   He leans his head on the bookshelf. _This is stupid._ He bangs his head on the shelf. _Dum!_ He repeats the move. It hurts. _Stop thinking like this!_ He grabs one of the shelf’s ledges with his hands and pushes it so the whole shelf goes unsteady for a moment and multiple books fall out and down on the floor.     

   Ok. That’s enough. He should stop behaving like a mad man.

   Trying to keep his breath together, he kneels down and picks up some of the fallen books. He places them one by one, not even caring to see what the covers look like. 

   Everything about this is embarrassing. The thoughts he’s having, what he just did… perhaps this is all proof that love makes one silly.

   Love… can you already call this love…

   He grunts again as he’s about to place the final books. They had been standing on the tallest ledge, so to top off with this completely pathetic scene, he needs to get a chair to stand on to reach the place. When he has done that, he can finally be able to place them to their dusty location.

   However, a sudden sound interrupts his move.

   A sharp sound coming from the bookcase.

   He squints his eyes. _What’s that?_ Where exactly is it coming from?

   He tilts his head and instantly hears the same sound repeat itself.

   It sounds like… he doesn’t know how to put it… like something scraping against another thing. Like coming from a device that Haruka hasn’t witnessed in months. Like the sound of what a _robot_ would make.  

   Impossible, he thinks. He doesn’t know what to believe as he searches with his eyes around the empty space between the books, before removing all the books on the ledge and scattering them on the floor.  

   A few seconds passes before he’s able to notice it.

   Haruka holds his breath.

   There’s a tiny, black lens in the top left corner.

   “No…”  

   _A camera?_

   He realizes the sound isn’t coming from the lens, but from a few centimeters away behind the shelf. A battery? A cable?   

   He waits for the camera to make a sound again, but now it’s completely silent.

   If he’s right… If this is actually a camera that has been in his bookshelf across his bed for the entire time he has lived here, then…

   This is insane.

   No kidding, that lens looks exactly like one he could’ve spotted in his home world. What the hell is it doing here of all places? Is it turned on? A disgusting feeling kicks him repetitively in his stomach.

   Haruka jumps and almost falls off the chair before he sprints out of the room. He nearly tears the door open to the second bedroom next to his and throws away all of the books in the bookshelf there. It takes a painfully long while, but he eventually finds the exact same type of lens there as well.

   “No…”  

   He runs to the third bedroom and finds one there too, then descends down the stairs in the speed of light, to the living room, where there are multiple shelves and he spends half an hour looking for it – and succeeds. It takes surprisingly even a longer time to find one in the kitchen, but he eventually spots one in one of the shelves, and his stomach eventually turns more and more.

   He runs to the nearest bathroom and is sick over the toilet, but not much comes out, he just feels horrible. Then he looks around, growing more sick of the possibility of there being another camera in here. He searches everywhere around the room, but he spots nothing, until he looks into the mirror that is placed above the sink – being one with the wall – and he realizes it could be the perfect place to hide one of those _creepy, fucking_ …

   Before giving it a second thought, he dashed out of the room, only to come back with a knife he found lying on the kitchen counter. He watches himself in the mirror, the reflection showing a pale boy with hysteria in his eyes. Wanting to see if there really is a camera in there – but also to scream the hysteria out – he bangs the knife against the mirror with all the power he’s got.   

   The mirror doesn’t even budge. That only pisses him more off. He knocks the knife hard on the mirror repetitively to no avail, only leaving scars on his weapon.

   This has to be some sort of magic. A typical mirror shouldn’t be able to stand this.  

   That’s when he hears loud knocks coming from his front door, and then loud, hasty footsteps from the hallway.  

   Too infuriated to do anything, Haruka lets himself down on the floor, waiting for them to find them. He doesn’t know who ‘them’ are, but he knows, _he’s certain_ , that they have observed his current discovery.

   They are two men and a woman. He can’t recall ever seeing them before, but it’s easy to tell at least one of them holds some authority. Two of them wears the guard’s uniform and quickly withdraws their swords from their holsters the moment they see Haruka on the bathroom floor holding the knife. These strangers must have been let in by the guards, and that’s when Haruka realizes, that those very guards are not protecting Haruka from the world, but protecting the world from Haruka.

   The one middle-aged man behind the guards steps forward.

   “Nanase Haruka, I am professor Akanishi. As a consequence of failure from our part, you’re coming with us.”

   He has no idea who this man is or what that means. He probably has little to no idea about anything in this world, really. Beneath the feeling of not knowing anything, lies anger, and beneath that, lies fear.

   There’s no other option but to confront this situation, and Haruka might have to be more courageous than he has ever been before.

  

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next: It's not love.


	9. It's not love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My lovely beta and friend made edits for this story! You can check them out here: https://twitter.com/CriizBastidas/status/908021976328962049
> 
> As always, I hope you'll enjoy another chapter of Collided~ Thanks for sticking with me this far, really.

_A dream._

_He can’t tell whether it’s cold or warm, merely that the thin air is encircling him._

_Someone is there, but the other presence is far too distant for him to recognize who it is._

_A hand reaching out to him._

_A name used to call to him._

_He has come so far, yet it keeps feeling like his walking in quick sand._

_Wasn’t things about to change for the better?_

_His agonizing feeling looks just like the monster hunting his dreams._

_Too afraid to do anything, he remains paralyzed and refuses to reach back to the other._

   He wakes up with tears in his eyes and doesn’t remember a thing.

 

 

 

   It’s love, isn’t it? This perfectly, painful, yet happy sensation hovering around in his body, flowing through his veins and electrifying his brain. It has to be. He doesn’t know how, but he’s sure his soul dances every time he’s simply thinking about it, which is to say, a thought that doesn’t leave his mind for more than a couple minutes.

   Despite the complications, Makoto knows that this feeling has always been here since the moment he first saw Haru. Thing is, it is only increasing, second by second, and Makoto has no idea when – or if _ever_ – it will stop. He doesn’t mind it though. No, not at all. Every day he can’t help but long for the other’s company until they’re together and every night he catches himself grinning like a fool into the pillow.

   It is as he is born anew, for the life he had before discovering these feelings were so different. His emotions were more limited then.

   Perhaps what he used to be the most fond of was music, though he still holds that love very dear to him. It’s incredible how beings can create such pleasing sounds and words that touches people’s heart. Something Makoto has discovered is that now he finally has an understanding of the countless love songs. Now when he hums those famous tunes, it’s like he has unlocked a wondrous treasure with a secret key and can finally _feel_ the true meaning behind the songs about loving your one only soulmate.     

   Truly, his perception of music has changed quite well since when he was younger.

   There was this song his mom would sing for him when he was tucked up in bed under the light blanket, staring at the dark ceiling covered in the lights of the stars his parents had made for him with their formulas. She would shove her digits through his hair as her gentle voice sang those melancholy tunes he was so familiar with.   

   Yes, the tune rang of melancholia, but he didn’t think twice about it back then, only the presence of his dear mother and her voice was important at that moment, and he couldn’t quite grasp the deeper, sadder emotions that were hidden in the melody. Despite the sorrowful tune, it greatly uplifted his spirit and calmed him down before closing his eyes to his usual heavy sleep.

   He tried to recall the song from his memories, but he never thought about even learning the first verse of it. How regrettable, as one night, with his mother living nations away, and his childhood friend’s weeping only centimeters away, he had no idea how he could sing that song of serenity to the other boy. Just imagine how calmer his friend would be if he could.

   But then, Rin was finally sound asleep. After what had seemed like a century of tears and sobs, the exhaustion must have slowly led him unconscious and nothing but a heavy silence roamed in the air.

   Makoto could finally try to get some sleep now when the other had calmed down. Rin had been sleeping at his place for a while after he met his soulmate, before being immediately separated. The nights would always be the same. Rin cried. Makoto tried to comfort him, but only ended up lying silent by his side. Then they would wake up, neither of them getting as much as a few hours of sleep.  

   Is this right? Is this fair? Makoto asked himself these questions, but since months had passed, he began to doubt if he would ever get the answers his mind was so desperate for.

   _Rin-chan and this other boy were destined to meet. Does that mean they were destined to be tortured like this too?_ Makoto had only heard good and happy stories regarding bonded souls before, but this is almost too tragic for him to comprehend. _Bonded souls are meant to be to protect one another, right? So why are they keeping Rin-chan’s soulmate away?_  

   He had never seen his friend in such a state before and it broke his heart. The two boys that met each other that day never did anything wrong.

   _No, this isn’t right._

   The next day, Makoto and Rin were prepared, (or as prepared as they could be), to start the day as usual. Dark-grey clouds filled the sky on that October day, perhaps signaling the rampaging storm that was creeping on its way.     

   They went to eat breakfast at the cafeteria house and meant to head over to practice right afterwards, however…

   They never went to practice that day.

   The four, hurried, sharp rings from the castle’s bells was what first alarmed the two, followed by shouting coming from students and tutors who were hastily moving around outside the building. Noise and yelling was a common happening between the kids, teenagers and masters, but Makoto could make out the difference right off the bat.

   They were cries for help.

   Yes, the great battle had occurred that day, presenting the latest recruited students what lurks not too far away from their homes.   

   ‘The great battle’ happens once every era, usually a couple years after the Holy Guardian has been called in to serve the world of the elves. In this era however, it had only been about half a year until the Shadows attacked the king, who just so happened to be in the Northern nation among all the students – who were all witnesses to the terror that is the Shadows.       

   Before Rin and Makoto were fully aware of it, people were already running out from the cafeteria, confused of what was happening and afraid of a certain _danger_. Rin and Makoto followed them, but it quickly dawned on them that that was a huge mistake.

   Tutors and fighters were all around, attempting to guide the kids to the nearest safest place, but everyone had been too late.

   Shadows were already surrounding them.

   They had been many. And huge. Terrifying. It was all chaotic.

   A tutor that Makoto barely knew attempted to run through them as they looked back at the kids. _“Follow me! Everyone listen-“_

   The scream that followed would haunt Makoto’s nightmares forever.

   One of the Shadows were pleased to consume this tutor, _slowly_ , in the most torturing way, its body swallowed the elf whole, until there was no trace of them left but the echo of their cry in pain.

   Makoto will never forget.

   Despite what just happened, despite the loss, the fear, the frustration, the adults kept fighting until the kids were able to move towards the barracks. Every second, every breath mattered, and Makoto has never felt his heart beat as fast as it did as he was careful to stay close to his friend. In the corner of his eye, he had seen it happen a second time. The pitch black, twisted, ghostly body of a Shadow had gone straight into a tutor. He remembers the details clearly. A scream, that was all. A scream that he had never heard before – a thousand times more extreme than the fake cries of pain he’d hear when watching plays – that sounded harrowing, before their body had vanished inside of the screeching monster.  

   He doesn’t remember another second of that day. The sight of the casualties had been too much. He only knows what happened because others had told him. He knows the previous Holy Guardian had been turned into a faker, killed the king and died along with him. He knows Sousuke was released by an unknown person and later had found the Core Shadow and saved them all, before reuniting with Rin as soon as he arrived back to the Northern nation. And he knows they all suffered way too much than necessary.

   That era changed everything. It changed Rin, who never left Sousuke’s side after that day, and he began to train with more motivation and courage than anyone had ever.   

   It wasn’t until a couple years later that Makoto realized there was a deeper reason for both Rin and Sousuke’s motivation and hard work. No, they had so much more on their minds than to become fighters or tutors of the nation. They wanted something that would take more courage than anything. They wanted change.  

   _“The old king only thought of death for the Shadow’s land, and never of survival in his own kingdom.”_ Makoto was too young to fully grasp the sinister feeling in the air as they said this, and maybe Sousuke and Rin were as well. All they thought was to prevent history from repeating itself.

 

   History won’t repeat itself, or so Makoto tells himself.

   Why would it when he has been so careful for so long? Why would it when the authorities know fully well what kind of embarrassing mistake they made seven years ago? There shouldn’t be any need to worry. _Sink your shoulders, straighten your posture like Haru told you to and keep training._

   _Haru… Where is he?_

   Late June. Warmth fills the air today, the sun shines from the sky without interventions from any unwelcomed clouds, accompanied by a soft breeze that fits perfect with the heat. A day like this is extremely rare in the Northern nation and Makoto wants to savor every moment of it. It’s like a part of his home nation has come to visit, if only for a day. Perhaps there will be more days like this in the nearest future and then Makoto could take the others to swim. He remember very well that swimming is Haru’s passion, so he’ll surely be happy to join, right? Yes, he should definitely take him to the lake someday.

   Earlier today, Rin had asked Makoto if he thought about telling Nagisa and Rei about Haru being his soulmate, and Makoto answered genuinely that he had no idea if he wanted to yet. However, now when he has thought more about it, he thinks he shouldn’t spread the news to any more people for now. After all, the reason to why he told Rin about Haru was so that Rin could be more understanding of their situation. Meanwhile, he would still feel weird to let other people know but keeping it a secret from Haru. No, it wouldn’t only feel weird, but… _unfair_.   

   _Haru…_

   Makoto has been training along with the others in the dojo today. Hours has passed and soon their practice for the day will come to a close, yet… Haru hasn’t showed up. At all.   

   He’s not sick again, is he? That would be horrible! Makoto doesn’t want to see Haru struggling against his body again.

   “You ok?”

   Makoto averts his gaze from the wooden floor to up at a concerned Rin. Furrowing his brow, Rin stares into Makoto’s eyes, and it seems like he’s aware of Makoto’s worries.

   “I… think I should go check on Haru,” Makoto says while attempting to smile reassuringly.

   Rin only hums and gives a short nod.

   He doesn’t get very far however, as he has only reached the genkan when Rei comes running towards him. This is the first time he shows up at the dojo today. Makoto’s not sure what errands he had to run, but rather than being curious of his activities, he only grows more anxious of what could have happened when reading Rei’s extremely distressed face.

   “GUYS!”

   Nagisa scuttles from behind Makoto to get closer to Rei and creases his forehead in worry. “Rei-chan?”

   Rei doesn’t reply immediately, which is really unlike him. In fact, he doesn’t say anything at all. He only pants after all the running and looks warily behind him before he decides to push the entry doors closed. Nagisa calls his name, but he doesn’t react. He leans his back against the door and attempts to catch his hasty breath.

   “Rei, what’s up?” Even Sousuke questions Rei’s sudden arrival, and he as well as Rin goes closer to the others while waiting for the panting boy to collect his words. Nagisa walks even closer and lays a hand on Rei’s shaking arm, and communicates with him through his eyes, maybe on the lookout for answers in Rei’s sudden behavior.

   “It’s–!“ He lowers his voice before he continues. “It’s Haruka-senpai.”

   Makoto can only sense the beating of his own heart after processing his words.

   “What happened?” Nagisa asks, rather calm for him to be, but Makoto’s hasty heart beat and sudden need for more oxygen has no time to be calm.

   “Is he ok?!”

   Rei looks startled at his sudden outburst. “Y-yes! Well, he’s not in danger, I think, but…” 

   Clenching his teeth, wishes to demand answers _right now_ , but he immediately collects himself. “You think?”

   He was too close not to spit the question out in frustration. This is not like him. No matter. There’s no time contemplating this. What he needs to know is what happened with Haru that made him skip practice today and leave Rei looking like he has just seen a flame-breathing dragon.

   “I don’t know the details yet, this is only something I overheard,” Rei says. “They’re interrogating Haruka-senpai inside the castle.”

   Rin scowls. “Interrogating? For _what_? What did he do now?”

   “I don’t know. Sorry… Truth is, I know nothing else than what I’ve said, except that this interrogation has been going on since last night. Though whether it was Haruka-senpai’s action or someone else’s actions that are at fault, something quite out of the ordinary must have happened for this to be a thing.”   

   Haru has been held for interrogation since last night?! What could have happened? What does this ‘interrogation’ involve? It’s not like those examinations, right?

   “I don’t understand…” Nagisa lightly pulls Rei’s arm. “From who did you overhear this?”

   Rei notices that his glasses are lopsided and adjusts them. “From Amakata. She was mentioning it to another man and it seemed to be quite serious. It was obvious how she looked at me that I wasn’t supposed to hear it, though it would be completely out of the lane if neither of us will hear more about this eventually.”

   “Hmpf, Amakata,” Rin mutters. “She doesn’t give a damn about Nanase.”

   Makoto frowns. How can he talk about Amakata like that?

   “You don’t seem to do that either, Rin-chan!” Nagisa shoots back.

   Rin looks away. “…What I mean is that she never did to begin with. I remember clearly how she ignored me while Sousuke was being held hostage. She doesn’t trust humans, and probably never will. I’m sure of it.”

   Silence follows. It hurts to think that Rin might be true and Makoto desperately wants to deny it.

   “Oh, wait a minute,” Rei says. “I completely forgot about it as I arrived here, but what Amakata had been saying about the interrogation, was that Haruka-senpai would come out from it around a few minutes ago.”

   “Then let’s pay Haru-chan a visit!” Nagisa proposes. “Not only am I worried to know what happened, but Haru-chan needs our support too!”   

   They all agree to hurry over to Haru’s right away. At least he hasn’t been sent away and is instead home, Makoto thinks, but then realizes that even having to reassure himself by thinking that only proofs how wrong Haru’s situation is.

   Guards stand by the residence as always, and the very sight of it makes blood rush to Makoto’s head in frustration. What is it that they think they are protecting? Do they see Haru for who he is, or not? Or do they never mind a thought of what they have been ordered to do?   

   Nagisa runs his final steps towards the door and gives it multiple heavy knocks, accompanied by shouts of Haru’s name. In not long, the door swiftly opens and reveals the man of the hour’s face, as well as his deep blue soul.  

   “Haru-chan!”

   “Haru!”

   “Are you alright, Haruka-senpai?”

   “Tell us what’s going on!”

   Bewildered as Haru’s expression can be, he steps back and makes way for the others bursting in. Questions keep bombarding him from them as he puzzled closes the door and looks back at the distressed boys standing in the hallway.   

   “We heard you were interrogated in the castle!” Nagisa exclaims.

   Haru freezes. “ _Interrogated?_ Wait, you… already know?”

   “Just cut to the chase,” Rin says and steps forward. “Who were these people that took you in and why did they take you?”

   Haru shifts his gaze from the others to Rin, before looking at each of them in their eyes. He doesn’t say anything at first and seems to be troubled, before he averts his eyes from everyone, his own eyes even looking to be dissociated from himself.

   “You’re too noisy… And you’re making a big deal out of nothing. It was nothing special, just that the tutors’ chief wanted to talk about some plans with me. That was all.”

   Nagisa and Rei sighs loudly in relief. However, though Makoto wants to sink his tense shoulders as well, he can’t. He can’t believe that that was all, especially not judging by Haru’s face. Makoto can’t pinpoint it exactly out, but there’s something about his look that tells him there’s more.

   “What plans?” Sousuke asks.

   Haru shrugs his shoulders. “I’ll be away for a bit.”

   It might be his green soul, it might be his heart, or it might be something completely different, but something heavy inside of Makoto’s chest falls down like a ball of lead in water and shatters into a million pieces.  

   “Away?” he stutters in such a low voice that it’s barely audible.

   Haru looks up for the first time in a while and meets his gaze. His eyes no longer seem dissociated from the world, but are instead seeing through Makoto’s worries. Haru just might be having those same worries as well.

   “In about a month, I’ll be joining fighters into the Western nation,” he says. “I’ll get to observe the river that is in construction across the border and help them from possible attacks.”  

   The shattered ball sinks even lower.

   Sousuke frowns. “Why?”

   “To get some experience, basically,” Haru answers.

   “And that’s it?” Rei asks.

   “Yes.”

   “That’s full of bullshit!” Rin startles Haru and gets even closer to him. “Why would they call it an ‘interrogation’, then? And this just seems completely out of place!”

   Haru’s expression twitches and he doesn’t answer right away. “Call it whatever you want. It wasn’t an interrogation and there’s nothing more to tell.”

   He signals he’s going to the kitchen before doing so, leaving the others stupefied by his words, except from Rin, who curses as he follows him while demanding more clear answers. A moment passes until Makoto and the others goes their direction as well.

   Haru stands still in front of the kitchen counter. Then his eyes perks up, like he has just remembered something urgent. He mumbles a command about the others standing their ground as he swiftly turns around and heads out of the room. Rin continues grunting.

   It doesn’t take long until Haru returns. He hasn’t looked Makoto in the eye this whole time, but now he does while slowly parting his lips.

   “…Let’s go on a picnic.”  

   “ _A picnic_?” The boys loudly question the completely random suggestion in unison. 

   “Stop shouting in my house. I’m suggesting it so we can find a nice place to hang around. Now help me make some food.”  

   They look at each other confused and look back at Haru again. None of them are pleased by this demeanor from his side, but right now they choose to blindly follow the Holy Guardian’s commands.

   “Whatever you say, Haru-chan!”

   “I’ll be waiting for an explanation,” Rin mutters.

   Haru looks down. “I need all of your patience for now.”

   His melancholy tune rings in the air and hits Makoto so hard he clenches his teeth and fists. As Haru had uttered those words, he had seemed so lonely… Who’s at fault for what’s happening in his head right now?

   After realizing there’s no point in asking any more questions about what’s happening, they all help Haru with preparing food and bringing equipment for this so-called ‘picnic’. Just as Makoto is about to assist, Rin drags him to the living room and asks him if Haru has told him anything worthy to know about the ‘interrogation’. Of course, Makoto knows nothing and attempts to calm Rin’s temper down after having said so.

   When they head back to the kitchen, everything’s set and they’re ready to go. Haru proposes to go visit class C and D’s barracks to eat there. Makoto notices Sousuke shooting a dubious stare at him, but before anyone’s fast enough to give a response, Rei and Nagisa take the wheel by stating they know a much better place for a picnic, and after consulting it with Haru, the others decide to follow their lead.   

   The pair of guards outside of the residence are standing still as ever, though this time Makoto catches them staring intensely at them. Haru seems to ignore them completely which is only adding to the eerie ambience.   

   The latter speeds up to match his long steps and calls his name. Makoto can swear his heart is a mess at this point.

   “What is it, Haru?”

   He slows down a bit so Haru can walk in his normal pace.

   “How was practice today?”

   Makoto blinks. “You’re wondering how my practice was?” _Of all times?_

   It’s easy to read Haru’s mind as he’s probably thinking Makoto is a hopeless case. “I wouldn’t ask you if I didn’t...”

   So Makoto tells him about his day, while following behind the others. Maybe he’s wrong but… it seems like Haru is planning things, even this, asking Makoto to talk about his training eases the mood better than anything, and perhaps that’s what they all need. However, it doesn’t take long until Sousuke freezes and waits for Haru to close in on him, before he mutters something that makes Makoto freeze his movement for moment as well.

   “The guards are following us, or more precisely, _you_.”

   What drives Makoto’s mind even more mad is how Haru doesn’t seem to react much. He only directs his gaze forward and keeps his pace.

   “Now when I’m not in the house they have to actually watch over me.”

   Makoto doesn’t know what to do. He doesn’t say anything, only goes along with whatever is happening.

   He thinks he’s able to get a glance at the following guards just as they are passing class C and D’s barracks. A pair of young students are running about laughing with a tutor right behind their feet. The tutor shouts something similar to: “Hey! No use of magic on these grounds without proper authorization!” It’s such a silly scenery it almost feels superficial when happening before Makoto’s gloomy eyes.

   They walk for about ten minutes more, until they have climb a grassy hill that lies just enough far off from the deep forest as well as the villages. Nagisa’s proposed place certainly is the perfect occupation for a private picnic.

  It would only take a fool not to recognize the obnoxious guards staring at them from the foot of the hill. Other than that, they can take in the fantastic view of this part of the nation. They can see multiple barracks and even the castle from here.  

   The boys sit down on the bright grass that are not shadowed by the couple of trees at the top. It’s way past dinner time (there are traces of food in the grass, possibly coming from students that decided to eat by themselves on this idyllic place), and the boys are more than ready to dig in on their meal.  

   “You’re not going to eat anything, Haru?” Makoto says. “The food is delicious as always.”

   The called one has done nothing but staring down at his box of traditional human-food he prepared himself, with some assistance from Sousuke, Nagisa and Rei. Not only that, but the shades of blue spiraling inside his soul moves in a much slower pace than normal, worrying Makoto even more.

   Same shades of blue that are in his eyes gazes back at Makoto. They seem to hold a million thoughts and secrets, but he doesn’t say anything. He just slowly takes a bite of his food. Makoto decides to not bother him further, yet Nagisa has other plans:

   “Haru-chan, you have no idea how worried we were when we heard you had been taken into the castle! You should have seen Mako-chan’s face.”

   Makoto is ashamed of his sudden outburst earlier. He was almost on the verge of yelling at Rei, which is not like him at _all_. He is almost bitter about Nagisa mentioning it. Of course, Nagisa didn’t say anything wrong. In fact, he’s clearly handling the situation better than anyone. How gloomy would everything be without him?   

   Fortunately, Haru doesn’t look back at Makoto again, but instead at Nagisa.

   “I… appreciate that…”  

   It’s been long since they learned that Haru never truly had any friends before. How long has it been since Haru heard these kind of words from someone?

   This time, Haru eats more and more, and Makoto feels his tense body loosen up a bit.

   It’s already getting darker. The first stars shows up, blinking far away in the royal blue and purple sky. Despite the sun going down, it’s not any colder. Even though Makoto grew up in a much warmer located nation, he has forgotten the feeling of this temperature in the evening. A feeling so comfortable, yet it’s completely destroyed by the guards that are still standing at the foot of the hill. Do they even eat or sleep at all?

   Makoto returns his attention to Haru when he places his half-empty lunchbox on the ground.

   It seems like he desperately wants to say something, but isn’t sure of the right words, so it all comes out garbled:

   “I don’t know what Amakata, or your king, or _anyone_ would have told you about what happened today. I don’t know if they would lie or not. Even so, I’m sure they knew from the start that I would never be quiet about this.”

   None of the boys around him can understand what he means. He tries to stare emptily at the grass – which color almost seems to shine in the faint darkness – and focus his stare solely on that, but his eyes keep flickering. His eyelids go shut as he sighs.

   “There have been hidden cameras in my residence all this time.”

   Makoto’s brain doesn’t process this information straight away. Rin’s and Sousuke’s faces slowly turns into disbelief.  

   “ _What are you saying_ ,” Sousuke whispers.

   “In the bookshelf in my room,” Haru spits out. The information is just about to take place inside Makoto’s mind palace. “In the mirror in all of the bathrooms. In the kitchen. In the living rooms. Everywhere. And they were there to spy on me.”

   “Cameras?!” Rei outbursts. “You mean… those things that…?”

   “Devices that records me twenty four seven, as long as I’m between those walls.” He pulls his legs together and sits in a fetal position. “So when I found them, and tried to destroy one, they went my way immediately and took me into the castle. While I was there, they tried to convince me that it was reasonable of them to put the cameras there, and maybe they were trying to convince themselves that I’m not a faker.”

   Makoto can’t do anything but to stare at the grass by now.

   “He called himself professor Akanishi and was a part of the king’s court, the man who took me in. ‘Explained that the cameras were new and basically plagiarism of the models in the human world. They weren’t installed until after Yamazaki and Matsuoka moved out–“ The mentioned ones sink their shoulders. “–He tried very hard to seem casual throughout the talk. Eventually, I had to come to an agreement. I had to accept the installment of the cameras in case of emergencies. In case I turn out to be a traitor. In case I try to kill you.”  

   Without saying a word, Rin gets up with haste and stomps on the ground – heading towards the guards at the foot of the hill. Haru blinks in surprise at first but then gets swiftly up and hurriedly grabs Rin by the arm from behind.

   “Wait–“

   “Wait for what?” Rin snaps as he turns around. “‘Til they’ve locked you in?”

   Rin looks directly at Makoto’s eyes for a second, and it is clear he’s worried, before he returns to glare so hard at Haru that it looks like he’s about to growl.

   “If you’re gonna stop me now I’ll hate your guts even more,” he says. “I won’t let this bullshit continue.”

   “If you have an opportunity to stop anything then I’d be happy,” Haru shoots back. “But I don’t see a hint of that.”  

   “Rin-chan, Haru-chan, please calm do–“

   “What else am I gonna do, Nagisa? Sing a little song to make this all go away?” Rin points at the guards, and they’re _definitely_ looking up at them by this point. “They’re being fucking unfair!” Now he’s pointing at Haru. “This guy hasn’t done anything wrong besides being stupid and annoying and all that!”

   “Then what are you planning to do?”

   “Tell them to stop being idiotic!”

   At this moment, Makoto realizes that he has done nothing. He’s just staring at their argument, too dumbfound to share his opinion.

   He has heard about cameras before. Here, the people simply uses a spell to recreate the picture of their current scenery, though artists with their painting brushes tend to call those spells for lazy work. Makoto has always stayed neutral to that discussion, but he supposes the ones using the formulas should be able to do their thing without being cursed at. Humans don’t have magic, so the camera must be an excellent tool.

    …So why the hell are there cameras here? Why would they use it against Haru like that? What dirty play.

   But who exactly are these people that have watched over him? Haru mentioned one from the court, which sounds nothing but trouble. Someone of that high standard placed Haru in this situation. Are every guard aboard on Akanishi’s possible plans as well?    

   This is all so ridiculous. Too ridiculous.

   “I agree with Rin,” Makoto says and stands up quickly. The other’s stare at him attentively, some with their mouth agape. Even Rin seems surprised. “I just got an idea. Though… It’s so simple and obvious; it’s almost plain stupid that none of us have done it before.”

   “What’s the plan?” Sousuke asks.

   “Like I said, it’s simple,” Makoto says lightly. “We’ll just have to tell the king everything, however, maybe not as aggressively as Rin is indicating.”

   “Yeah!” Nagisa shouts. “Maybe Rin-chan is actually right for once!”

   “What do you mean by ‘for once’?”

   “It’s for the best that we’re honest and tell King Seijuro the truth, maybe he doesn’t even know about what happened to Haru,” Makoto says and ignores Rin’s glare at Nagisa. “Or… what do you think, Haru?”

   Their eyes meet. Above everything else, Haru looks tired, but beneath that, Makoto sense a hint of relief. “I believe in you that it’s the right thing to do.”

   “Then why did you…?!” Rin looks more offended over Haru than ever. He glances at Makoto and groans. “Whatever.”

   “Anyway, there’s no time to waste,” Rei states. “The king leaves the nation tomorrow morning; we’re lucky if they’ll even _consider_ letting us see him tonight.” 

   They all agree and head straight for the Northern nation’s castle.

 

 

**_________________________________________________________ **

 

  

   Last night, it felt as he was all alone. Like everybody had turned their backs against him, but maybe… maybe that’s not true after all.

   “Haruka-senpai, you decided to have a picnic so you could tell us what you knew without being watched by the court, right?”

   “Well, yes, but also… You wouldn’t like being there either when I told you this, so...”

   “Haru-chan… you’re considerate even when you’re going through horrible things…”

   Haruka doesn’t think of himself as considerate. In fact, he has usually never cared much regarding other’s feelings at all, though, that might be because he never truly had anyone to care for. But really, the only thing that truly matters to him is morality, and he guesses a part of his morality finds it important to not be unnecessarily careless of other people and their well beings.

   He never really explained to the others how he completely lost his control in fury when he found out about the hidden cameras inside his house, so they might think he acted cooler than he actually did. Maybe he’ll have to go into detail about that when they talk with the king.

   They were – according to Rei – extremely lucky that got to meet King Seijuro instantly now when they needed it. Whatever the presumably busy king must have been up to, he was willing to give it up for the Holy Guardian.   

   It wasn’t until they were all walking between the castle’s walls, guided by a couple guards, that Haruka asked the others: “What exactly are we going to tell him?”

   Before any others could answer, Yamazaki said: “What we’ve been meaning to tell him all these years.”  

   Alright. Great. So Yamazaki apparently has a plan. Hopefully that means they’re not solely relying on Haruka to handle the confrontation.   

   As well as with his first audience with the king, King Seijuro sits, leaning his elbow and head, at his great throne, with his consultant next to him. However, there are only a couple guards here this time, and his little brother is nowhere to be seen in the room.  

   “What a pleasure to see the two Holy Guardians together,” he says as they bow for him. “They told me your visit was urgent, so this should be very interesting.”

   The boys standing before him shifts gazes between each other, unsure of how to start, but King Seijuro continues speaking. “However, as much as this intrigues me, please make it quick.” His voice is rather drowsy and there are dark circles under his eyes.

   For a second, Haruka thought that either he or Yamazaki should say something at first, but Rin dares to take a step forward, looking nothing but determined.  

   “We came to give complaints about a certain treatment, your majesty.”

   “Oh?” King Seijuro curiously lifts his head up from his palm. “Curious. On who’s behalf?”

   “The humans, your majesty,” Matsuoka says, this time with a lowered voice. He looks at Haruka, and he supposes this is when he has to step in. What should he do? Just tell about the cameras immediately? But is that _really_ the reason to why they went here?  

   “With all due respect your majesty,” Haruka decides to say. “Your people doesn’t trust me, and we’re afraid if things may eventually go out of hand.”

   And so it goes. He tells him about the cameras he found, even about how he was found, fallen on the ground with a knife in hand. The king’s face is shocked to say the least, which surprises Haruka. _This is the first time he’s hearing about this, isn’t it._

   Then – even more surprisingly – Makoto starts speaking about how he has noticed the lack of trust in Haruka that he has seen in the nation. Even Rei and Nagisa has something to say about that. The king doesn’t seem to wish to interrupt at all. Though he creases his eyebrows and looks greatly displeased, something tells Haruka that it’s someone else he’s disapproving off and not them. 

   Finally, Yamazaki begins asking questions. He asks the king if he was aware of the hidden cameras.

   “…In fact, it just so happens that I was not informed of this at all,” King Seijuro says sharply, turning his head to his now seemingly distressed consultant.

   “Then, is the court free to put Nanase into an examination as they please?”

   “I’m afraid they do hold some power that I cannot control because of my young age, but to not inform any of this to me beforehand is unacceptable. So no, not as they please.”  

   “Do your majesty intend to put Nanase – or I – into custody without any proof of us being disloyal?”

   “Of course not.”

   “Who exactly is professor Akanishi?”

   “He works in the Eastern nation… There’s nothing more you need to know about him for now.”

   _What a peculiar answer._

  

   Yamazaki takes a deep breath. “I only have one more question, your majesty, then we’ll be off.”

   “Go on.”

   “What are you going to do about this?”

   The question is rather straightforward, but the king doesn’t seem like the type to mind. If anything, he looks only bothered by everything the boys has told him – and everything his consultant has not.  

   “I will see to look into this immediately with my court.” He raises from his throne, shooting a sharp glare behind him. “And I will make sure those cameras shall be gone. I cannot believe Akanishi has caused all this. What would cameras _of all things_ help with anyway? Stop a Shadow? Never!”

   He commands the guards to gather the court ASAP, before he mutters into his hand that he will not get any sleep tonight either. He gazes down at his visitors from the stair steps leading up to his throne.

   “In truth, I’m just a young boy like the six of you, _but I am a king_ , and I shall overcome my father’s former rule. Trust me on that.”

   Hope fills Haruka’s lungs, like it’s suddenly a tad bit easier to breathe. Does those words mean that the king has trusted Haruka from the start? His father was killed by Shadows when he was only in his younger teens, yet he holds no curse against possible fakers. 

   Yamazaki bows down, clenching his fists hard. “Thank you very much, your majesty.”

   The others copies his moves and words. Seijuro speaks more.

   “The only thing I’ve heard is but the recent plans for the Holy Guardian which I proposed myself: about joining our fighter party protecting the construction of the river that shall block the Shadows away from us. I heard you wished to attend this, Nanase. Is that true?”

   “Yes, your majesty.”

   “And does your wish remain still?”

   “…Yes, your majesty.”

   “I’m pleased. I have a genuine feeling that your experience shall be both rewarding for you and my people.” He averts his gaze away from Haruka and to the others. “Then, unless you have more to say, I will send you off for me to handle this embarrassing mistake at once.”

   The boys before him all bow again. The meeting is dismissed.

   As they go, King Seijuro speaks his final words after them. “I promise, I will do my best to get rid of unnecessary trouble. I will not break the Holy Guardian’s contract like my father did.”  

 

 

   And that was it.

   Was that all they had to do?

   Was that all Haruka needed to go through to regain the elves’ trust?

   It… seems like it.

   “Hey… thank you…”

   They’re outside. It has turned late and they’re all looking back at Haruka, who bows his head. Rei smiles and Nagisa cheers with him. Sousuke has an expression Haruka has never seen before. It almost looks… peaceful.

   Makoto is looking right at Haruka – for a moment it feels impossible to break eyes with him – and he surprises him by putting his hands on the other’s shoulders.

   “I think things will finally go your way, Haru.” He turns his smile to Matsuoka. “And I think this is the beginning of your dream coming true, Rin.”

   Those words seems to render him speechless and his eyes are quickly veiled in tears. He rubs his eyes in a hurry and starts walking, the rest following him.  

   “We only got promises,” he utters with a husky voice. “I won’t be satisfied until they are put into action.”   

   All casually, Yamazaki holds his hand, but he’s looking at Haruka. “If you’d wish Nanase, you are free to stay over at our place until the cameras are gone.”

   The sentimental face of Matsuoka completely vanishes. He scowls at Yamazaki and tightens the grip on his hand. “You wouldn’t care to hear _my_ opinion before offering something like that?”

   With an expression that seems to say, _Can’t you give it a slack?_ Yamazaki opens his mouth, but Matsuoka interrupts his action.

   “Listen, Makoto loves sleepovers, and he likes Nanase’s company even more! So why not let them figure it out?”  

   Why is Haruka getting the feeling that Matsuoka is teasing them… And why are they suddenly having a conversation that doesn’t mesh with the situation at all?!

   “What?” Makoto utters the same noise that he always makes when getting flustered, before he closes his eyes in a smile. “Well, of course Haru can sleep at my place! We’ll just need to fix another futon. Oh, and this is only if you want to, Haru.”

   “And there you have it!” May it be thanks to the king’s words from earlier or some other reason that Haruka isn’t aware of, but Matsuoka is clearly in a much better mood now.   

   He figures that Matsuoka still hates his guts and therefore is desperate to make him stay at another place. Whatever, if it wasn’t for redhead, he wouldn’t get the chance to go with Makoto, which gives him an unusual feeling that is about to become more usual in his life.

   _Wait. No, stop thinking like that._

   He gratefully accepts the invitation to stay over at Makoto’s place. Honestly, it’s the best place he could imagine to be at right now.  

   There are a few students around the village. Most people they pass by are either tutors or guards, some of them even fighters. They split ways with Matsuoka and Yamazaki and enters the barracks along with Rei and Nagisa.

   “Haru-chan, let’s think of something fun to do on your birthday! It’s in two weeks, after all!”

   Haruka shudders. “How did you know the date of my birthday?”

   “Don’t be silly,” Nagisa says as he limply hits the air with his hand. “You’re the Holy Guardian; everyone’s supposed to know that!”

   When Haruka refuses to give a proper answer, Rei proposes to wait and think more of that later. Then, the two part ways from Makoto and Haruka to go back to their room.

   Haruka doesn’t even want to think about his birthday right now, and just in favor of the little luck he has, Makoto doesn’t say anything on that matter either. In fact, he doesn’t say anything at all. That’s probably exactly what Haruka needs.

   Today has been horrible – and that is to put it lightly. Even after he returned home from the castle, his friends came barging in before he could get any rest. Even so, he felt really reassured that he wasn’t alone when they all seemed to be worried for him…

   They reach Makoto’s room, which is located on the third floor, and the latter opens the door for him to go in first. After the other, Makoto steps into the room – being dark, save from the moonlight piercing through the curtains of the lone window – and he reaches his hand towards the roof. As soon as his fingertips lightly touches the surface, the roof shines a dimmed light. Haruka can’t help but smile a little. Just a little.   

   “Do you mind waiting a moment? I’ll be right back with a futon for you.” It’s hard not to notice how Makoto’s voice changes as soon as they’re alone. That’s something to mentally note down, Haruka thinks for himself.

   Makoto insists on going alone, saying that it’s the least he can do after everything that has happened since last night. Haruka doesn’t object and waits by the mirror that doesn’t really match this plain room at all. It’s weird being alone in this room that Makoto has spent so much time in. He has been growing up here for as long as he’s been a teen, yet the place is so unfamiliar to Haruka. Why does he feel like he has missed out on so much when thinking about that?  

   Shit, he’s thinking like this again… Which only reminds him of how he found the cameras. That’s right, he never explained that detail of the story to anyone. The truth being: he found the cameras after hitting his head on a bookshelf because he was overflowing with emotions for another guy. An elf. Makoto.

   He immediately regrets recalling that episode, because just as he’s sensing the unwelcomed feelings again, Makoto shows up at the door with a futon. Perfect.

   Haruka shakes his head, but the thoughts aren’t falling off. He helps Makoto getting the futon through the door and places it on the floor next to Makoto’s.

   “Wait a minute…” Makoto’s eyes suddenly sheers of shame. “I forgot that you’ll need a blanket and a pillow! And you haven’t brought anything! What was I thinking?!”  

   There’s no need to blame yourself when I didn’t think of that either, Haruka thinks and simply stares blankly at him. He shrugs.  

   “It’s fine. I won’t need a blanket if I just sleep with these clothes on.”

   “It’s not fine!” Makoto protests, but Haruka ignores it and sits down on his futon, ready to sleep.

   Makoto isn’t done yet however. “I’ll at least let you borrow a yukata. It can’t be comfortable sleeping with those clothes.” He goes to his cabinet and opens it.

   Haruka is almost too tired for this, but Makoto does got a point. He’s wearing jeans, and they don’t exactly go well with sleeping. So despite his fatigue, he gets up and receives the white yukata that is handed to him.

   “I’ll stand out in the hallway if you want to be alone,” Makoto offers as he looks to the side.

   “You don’t need to go all your way for that.” Haruka tries to say it as if Makoto just said something incredibly stupid, but somehow it all came out almost flustered.

   “T-Then I’ll get changed as well!”

   Getting that out of the way, Haruka faces the wall and takes his clothes off. He hates himself for it, but his head feels instantly hot now when he knows they’ve both stripped of almost everything.

   _This is stupid. What am I? A silly teenager in love?_ Well actually, to his unawareness, yes he is.  

   He swiftly gets in the yukata, but in that exact same second, he realizes it’s way too big for him. _Oh boy._ It just keeps on falling off him.

   “Whahh! Do you need help?” Makoto comes from behind him and gently grabs the neck line of the clothing, keeping it from sliding down. His yukata must be exactly the same size as the one Haruka is wearing yet it fits him perfectly. Indeed, he’s body is built very differently than Haruka’s–and no he should _definitely_ not start having thoughts regarding that now.

   Makoto blushes. And not just mildly: his whole face his bright red. Somehow, his blown-open-flustered eyes greatly amuses Haruka, but the latter manages to keep his cool.

   “I can use it as a blanket instead.” In most situations, Haruka would probably be annoyed when getting compared to bigger sizes, but now, for some reason, he kind of finds it enjoyable.

   Makoto seems to be at loss for words and for one moment, Haruka wonders why. Why is he so shy about this? If Haruka didn’t know better, he’d almost assume that Makoto finds it special to see some of his body revealed. His red-tainted cheeks kind of reminds Haruka of those girls’ faces that would sometimes watch him swim in Iwatobi.  

   Why does Makoto act like this in front of someone he isn’t attracted to?

   Returning to his common sense, Haruka decides to leave Makoto’s grip and lays down on the futon. He probably looks ridiculous as he attempts to not let the yukata slip off. He moves into a comfortable position and finds out that the yukata works just fine now that he’s laying in an horizontal line.

   After getting all worked up, Makoto loosens up with a sigh and proceeds to chuckle. He sits down on his own futon. “I’m sorry… This must be an odd change for you… when you have everything from your comfortable beds to sleep wear that actually fits at your home.”

   Haruka has thoughts about what Makoto just said, but before he gets to reply, Makoto asks if it’s okay for him to sleep with the light on. “I can dim it more if you want.”

   It’s impossible this time, he can’t hinder himself from showing off a softer look. “No, it’s ok.”

   He finds it cute that Makoto needs it to be bright when he sleeps, but… when thinking about it, his reason must dark. And far, far from cute.

   Either way, right at this moment, Haruka is glad to be here. He’s genuinely happy to be experiencing Makoto’s sleeping routines. 

   _Dammit, I’m just falling deeper into the rabbit hole, aren’t I._

   Makoto lays down so they’re facing each other. It’s warm, so Makoto doesn’t even use his own blanket. Despite his desperate need for some sleep, Haruka recollects the sentence he was trying to from earlier.

   “I was thinking about what you said… about the difference from here and my ‘home’. Because… I don’t think of that as my home. I’m still not used to such a big house.” 

   Besides, they would have probably slept in different rooms if they were at his place, but now they get to be together, which is only a good thing for Haruka. 

   At that, Makoto averts his eyes. “I see… I’m sure Iwatobi must have been a utopia compared to here.”

   What Haruka doesn’t realize, is that Makoto figures that Haruka still views Iwatobi as his home, which is far from the truth.  

   “I guess,” Haruka says. “Though actually, I’m…”

   _Despite everything, I’m the happiest right here and now than I’d ever be there._

   “Maybe I should take you there sometime,” Haruka says instead and slowly closes his heavy eyelids. What he said was kind of meant as a joke, because he doesn’t really see that happening any time soon, but deep down in his heart, it is truly a wish that may or may not come true eventually.

   And he hears Makoto whisper happily, “I’d love that,” followed by the sensation of his breath, before Haruka drifts into a deep, deep sleep.   

 

 

 

**_________________________________________________________ **

 

 

   Haru fell asleep right away. Makoto genuinely feels bad for him. He must be so exhausted after today. Makoto is too.

   This is the first time he’s seeing him sleep – a moment he will never let go off later in his life. His chest is sinking and rising slowly and quietly and he can hear his calm breath, along with the sight of his relaxed, adorable face and peaceful soul.

   “I’d love that,” he repeats, while having to stop himself from gracing the other’s black hair.     

   Sometimes Makoto forgets just how much having Haru as a soulmate actually means. It means that they are destined to be together, and are most likely destined to be with each other for the rest of their lives. This person right here is that very person to Makoto. It’s almost unbelievable. It might be safe to assume that Makoto has long since fallen for him, but there really is no doubt now. Nothing has ever made him feel as peaceful and happy as this moment.

   When he’s happy, he usually doesn’t want the moment to go away. He wants it to stay like that forever, and as much as he’d be fine with staying like this for the rest of his life, he feels content enough to let this moment pass. Let the theory of time take this moment with it and let them wake up together at dawn. Let this be nothing but a feeling and a happy memory.

   Yes, Makoto is sure that he is satisfied enough.  

   “Goodnight, Haru.”

 

 

**_________________________________________________________ **

 

 

 

   _Strange._

   If there’s any kind of empty darkness that he is not afraid of, but instead desires to embrace with all his heart, then it is the one he just experienced now. The peaceful one, never interrupted by nightmares and unsettling dreams, with the promise to wake up from it again.

   The very first thing he notices as he drifts back into consciousness from this heavy sleep is that he’s not crying. Just like the last time he slept this peacefully. _Truly… Strange._

   Haruka opens his eyes and gets startled instantaneously. If it wasn’t for the fear of waking up the other, then he would have definitely jumped back, if not only to keep his manners. What he wakes up to is nothing but the view of the throat and jaw of the still-asleep boy next to him. They’re only a few centimeters apart from each other, so close that Haruka can sense Makoto’s steady breath hit his forehead. Adding up to it all, they both have each of their arms pressed together in between of each other and they are both probably using as little space on their own futons as possible. It’s warm.

   How embarrassing that I moved this close to him in my sleep, he thinks, but the thoughts doesn’t stop there.    

   What makes him want to move away from him should be obvious: It’s simply weird to sleep this close to someone who shouldn’t be anything more than a friend, or at least, that’s the unwritten rules he learned at the human world. The elves’ saying is that ‘everything may not happen for a reason, but everything is destined to happen’. If he should think like that too, then this moment might be destined to happen, but he is not destined to be with Makoto. In the end, this is all wrong. What his heart is saying doesn’t match at all with their true fates. Their hearts were never meant to collide.

   But at the same time, now when his heart has calmed down a bit, he doesn’t want this moment to slip away. What an egoistic thought, he silently admits to himself. Why is he feeling these things? It doesn’t make sense. This can’t be love. After all he has been taught here, it can never be love that he is feeling. So what is it then?

   Even though Haruka has never had an actual friend before coming here, he has long since had a faint idea of how friends should think of each other, and they should _not_ be having the thoughts he’s having right now, nor the feelings.

   Someone who is just a simple friend shouldn’t be admiring the looks of the other as he’s doing now. Quietly – and only slightly – he points his chin upwards as he observes Makoto’s face, and he hates to admit that it feels like someone just squeezed his heart. It’s not until now that he fully takes in how handsome he is. He slowly moves his gaze down to the arm touching his. Their hands are so different in size… _Yikes – this is getting out of hand._

   For someone who is already struggling against thoughts about this elf, this scenario is _definitely_ not helping.     

   “Hm… Haru?”

   He should move away quickly and pretend like this never happened, but he mentally curses himself for doing nothing. Instead, he freezes still and watches as the other slowly flutters his morning-tired eyes open.       

   It’s like someone turned on a light. When their eyes meet, it goes up for Haruka just how close positioned they are. The drowsy Makoto seems to be aware of that immediately.   

   Suddenly, Haruka almost wants to pull off a mischievous grin. If he’s already in this situation, maybe he should try to have some fun with it.

   “Good morning,” he whispers, and it practically works as a _‘boo’_.

   Makoto jumps back yelping and the moment is instantly broken. “Ah! Sorry!”

   “What are you apologizing for?” Haruka already knows the answer, so he’s not sure why he’s asking. Perhaps he’s genuinely curious as to why Makoto has the exact same reactions that he has.    

   Makoto – who still doesn’t look completely awake – only utters a vocal before Haruka gets up to sit on his futon, his borrowed yukata sliding down his shoulder. It’s colder now.

   “Good… morning…” Something about Makoto’s flustered face is so endearing that Haruka huffs a genuine, short laughter.  

   Unfortunate for Makoto, he’s too distracted to take in what just occurred before him by rubbing his dry eyes. He stares at his own hands as he mumbles something incomprehensible.

   “Did you sleep alright?” Makoto asks eagerly – and a bit loud.

   Haruka could speak his internal monologue from earlier and be honest about how wonderful it felt to wake up, but he instead replies with a simple nod.

   “I’m glad,” Makoto sighs. His expression softens. “The same goes for me. It looks like… being able to wish Haru goodnight helps me rest much easier.”

_No, that’s unfair. Don’t just say stuff like that._

   Remaining his ever so cool expression, Haruka says nothing, but only assures Makoto that he’s happy for him with a little smile. Still, an unsure feeling wells inside him. Why is Makoto saying something like that? If he continues giving Haruka those smiles, he will just give him the completely wrong ideas. Maybe he’s being charming on purpose, Haruka thinks. But on purpose of what?!

   “I need to take a shower,” Haruka resumes quickly and gets up from the futon, having to hold his yukata for it not to fall down. The light coming from the window clearly indicates that it is indeed morning, so he better get ahead and start the day anyway.

   “You sure? You won’t get much privacy, and you might get a lot of attention since…” Makoto pauses for a second. “You know, you’re the Holy Guardian and all that.”

   It’s nice to know that Makoto already knows fully well that Haruka has no pleasure for sudden attention, let alone when he wants to clean himself in private. Ugly stares and unwanted questions would probably be shot at him like it always does when he’s wandering about in public alone.   

   “But won’t you join me?” Haruka thought it had been obvious that they would go to the showers together. Makoto needs to shower too, doesn’t he? Or does elves require less cleaning because of magic or something ridiculous like that? Still, Makoto doesn’t look convinced, so Haruka elaborates his reasoning. “I suppose people would leave me alone if you were with me. And they might be too confused as to why I am there of all places to ask any questions.”

   “Right… if not…” Makoto never finishes his sentence.

   “If not what?”

   “Er… nothing.”

   He’s looking away as if he’s ashamed of something. The next second, it’s like Haruka can read his thoughts.  

   “Oh.” For Haruka to randomly appear in the barrack’s showers with an elf that he’s always hanging around with wouldn’t exactly look good. Gossip about it would surely spread like wild fire. Just what kind of rumors would come out of that? For a second, embarrassment is all Haruka can feel. “My bad. I’ll go to my place then. I won’t cause problems for you.”

   Makoto smiles awkwardly and gets up on his feet. “You sure if you feel good about going back there?”

   “It’s no problem. I need to check if they’re already doing anything about King Seijuro’s promises anyway.”

   After waking up with Makoto like that, Haruka is finally taken back to reality, and that _stinks_. However, the look Makoto gives him lifts him up from that reality for a mere second, and if Haruka didn’t know better, he would have assumed magic was involved, but it was only a feeling. The feeling of Makoto.

   “You know you’re always welcome to stay over here, right?”

   Little does Makoto know, Haruka has never felt more welcomed than he does right here.  

   “Of course.”

 

 

   From that on, there are always those small little moments where Haruka feels nothing but happiness.  

 

 

   Indeed, King Seijuro holds his promises and the un-installment of the hidden cameras comes to be only a few days later. The day a couple workers come in to detach the hidden cameras from their locations, Haruka takes a round double-checking the house for the devices straight afterwards, just in case. To his relief, he finds nothing. He’s finally free from them. Before the workers had exited his house, he had asked one of them if she worked a lot with cameras. She had given him a simple shrug along with a simple answer.

   “We’ve never had to do installments outside of the Eastern nation until we handled these cameras.”  

   That’s interesting, Haruka had thought. Very interesting.

   So the days continues as it had before this camera-crisis occurred. Class B Group 4 continues their training as if nothing ever happened, and the classes and groups around them does as well, though rumors have been spread about Haruka’s earliest incident and the king’s disapproval of the court’s recent choices. It’s almost as if all the gossip regarding the Holy Guardian is building up to something big. Of course, Haruka doesn’t care about simpleminded rubbish as gossip and instead solely focuses on training and going along with his friends.  

   One morning, when Haruka opens the door to head over for the day’s practice, he doesn’t see any guards guarding by the residence’s fence. Without any explanation, he sees them no more.

   At one point, things were going so calmly that Haruka was completely taken aback when reminded of his birthday. The thought didn’t cross his mind until when he woke up that day with tears in his eyes.

   The thing is, Haruka has never hated the concept of birthdays, but he just can’t stand his own. He is used to seeing former classmates and every kind of people have celebrations and good food, whereas he has been too bitter to do anything. Birthdays are just a completely normal day for him, or, that is what he’s trying to convince himself of. He supposes that the birthday after his parents’ death was what destroyed it all, along with other things. It’s just that his birthdays has become this reminder of that feeling of abandonment. Birthdays are nothing but disappointing and unnecessary. For the past years, his neighbor Tamura-san would pay him a short visit to congratulate him and give him something of what she had baked. Of course, it was only sweet of her and Haruka is fully aware that she meant well, but he couldn’t help but feel the bitter feeling grow stronger as he gave her presents a taste.    

   Amakata had come to ask him the day before if there was anything he wished for his birthday and Haruka believes that he made it _very clear_ that he doesn’t wish for any presents or anything special. Well, it’s safe to assume that this day will be different no matter what. What do elves even do on birthdays?

   He gets his answer as soon as he has arrived at the dojo. As he opens the door, he’s thinking that maybe he will be lucky enough for the others to just let him train in peace, but that thought is immediately blown away by cheers coming his way.

   “HAPPY BIRTHDAY!”

 

 

**_________________________________________________________ **

 

 

   Explosions of birthday crackers came from everywhere, along with the line that sung by the five boys standing at the entrance. Even long after the congratulations and when they had begun their training there is still rests of confetti on Haru’s hair, who had been speechless the first minute he’d walk into the dojo. His surprised expression was adorable.     

   18 years old. He is only a few months older than Makoto. He wonders how Haru’s earlier birthdays have been like. Hopefully he isn’t disappointed or anything today. Maybe he expected more from them? Well, he did specifically say that he didn’t wish for anything and just wanted for it to be a casual day, but still… Makoto wants to satisfy him to the fullest.  

   The plan had been to surprise him with the birthday crackers – Nagisa’s idea. Then, after practice, they were going to Rin and Sousuke’s to go eat and celebrate – also Nagisa’s idea. No one but their group is invited. Some of the food were already prepared and they made sure it looked cozy in the living room. Makoto hopes all this won’t ruin the ‘casual’ part. 

   “For elves, birthdays are usually spent with their soulmates only!” Nagisa explained. “Only on the day after do friends and family celebrate, but since you Haru-chan haven’t met your soulmate yet, we can celebrate with you today!”

   Around dinnertime, the celebration is already looking out to be going well, Makoto even catches Haru smiling ever so little from time to time.  

   The food Sousuke prepared is delicious and Haru seems to agree. Rei and Nagisa made the dessert, which was one of a kind that Haru most likely never has seen before. Makoto remembers one time when Haru told him that he wasn’t very fond of sweets, so it doesn’t shock Makoto when he sees him not finishing the dish. Nagisa, the one who loves sweets more than anything (well, except from Rei), has with no doubt overdone with the sugar, so most likely everyone would agree with Haru on the food being too sweet.

   It’s extremely hot outside, at least for the Northern nation to be, so Rin decided to use his powers and make some tiny, tiny whirlwinds in the corner of the rooms that works perfectly fine as fans. Come to think of it, Rin hasn’t said much today, he didn’t do almost anything for the preparation for this party either. Makoto at least brought the decoration and food ingredients.    

   Anyway, the gathering might be casual enough for Haru. Even though Makoto can’t help but be curious, he doesn’t ask him more about how his birthdays went in the human world. He has a faint idea of them being lonely, which brings nothing but aching to Makoto’s soul. He is glad to see Haru enjoying the company today.

   They are all sitting in the living room – Makoto and Haru a bit away from the others, but still close enough to be a part of the conversation – when the banter starts for real.   

   “Your operation by the river construction sounds very interesting to me,” Sousuke says. Right before he’s about to say more, he’s suddenly interrupted by someone else.

   “But they said you will be away for over a month! That’s too long!” Nagisa says this and the aching in Makoto’s chest _strongly_ agrees.  

   “I’m sure we’ll be able to write letters,” Rei sympathizes. “But yes, it is quite a while, and Haruka-senpai will have to adapt in an unknown place again.”

   _And it’ll be more dangerous than here._ Makoto doesn’t like this plan at all.

   Sousuke turns to Haru again. He is leaning his chin on his folded hands. “You’ll get to see how the fighters work, you should use that opportunity good.”

   Even us others don’t get to meet the fighters, Makoto thinks. Haru is really up for something. Though... there are other things Makoto worries about regarding his travels.

   “I guess I’ll use the opportunity to kill some monsters too,” Haru replies ironically, but Nagisa takes it a bit more literally.

   “You’re so brave Haru-chan! Rei-chan, you could learn from him.”

   It’s obvious that Nagisa is mostly teasing, so Rei looks more playful than offended. “So those times you have told me I’m brave was a lie, now?”

   “Nah, you’re brave at heart, but on the outside you’re easily scared by the smallest things.”

   “I’m not ‘easily scared’,” Rei says and adjusts his glasses. “I’m just highly aware of every possible bad outcome in life.”

   Along with the others’ laughter, Makoto can hear Haru snort beside him. His previous concerns that were floating in his head immediately blows away. While the others keep talking to each other and even Rin joins in the conversation, Makoto leans a bit closer to Haru.

   “Your laughter is very cute,” he says quietly.  

   Instinctively, Haru’s hands clenches onto his own clothes. He was not prepared for that. Perhaps Makoto shouldn’t have said that. Oh no. Now he’s having regrets. Haru looks like if he’s being patronized.

   “Don’t make fun of me.”

   Uttering, Makoto leans back again. “B-But I’m not!”

   “Liar.”

   “No! What I meant is that it’s really nice to hear you being happy!”

   Haru huffs through his nose. “I see through you now. You’re one of those people that seem nice at first, but turns out to be evil on the inside.”

   Now he’s obviously teasing back and Makoto can see it, so he decides to play along with him.

 

 

**_________________________________________________________ **

 

 

 

   “Correct. Actually, I’m planning to betray you all after I’ve gained your trust with my charisma.”

   He can’t help it, Haruka cracks open into a little smile.  

   “Heh, charisma? Anyway, you’re way too boring to be a person like that.”

   “What?! You think I’m boring?”

   Haruka is afraid that all his nervousness shows on his face, which it obviously does. To him, Makoto is the most interesting person he has ever met. Even though he doesn’t want to admit it, he’s desperate to know everything about him.

   However, just as he’s about to mouth a ‘yes’ as a lie, Makoto’s face changes drastically into a cunning smile and he leans closer to Haruka again. “You don’t have to answer. I can see the truth.”

   His face is close to his. Haruka becomes flustered right away and turns his head sideways. “You’re more annoying than Matsuoka.”

   “Hmm... nah, you’re obviously lying.”

  _Dammit._

   Is this flirting? Are they flirting?

   “Oi! Did you say something about me?!” Rin asks, and gets completely ignored.

   Did the others see how Makoto smiled and leaned against him? Do they think that’s just a friendly thing to do? Haruka is officially confused.

 

 

**_________________________________________________________ **

 

 

   It might be safe to say that the day is a success. When they’re about to clean up and take the night, Haru bows his head as he utters a genuine ‘thank you’, and even Rin seems glad to see his gratitude.

   In a way, it almost feels granted when Makoto proposes to follow Haru home. Though it is a much longer walk for himself, it has simply become a natural thing for the both of them to do. As always, the comfortable silence feels ever so special after being surrounded by chatter and laughter from their comrades. It is especially precious now in this quiet, chill summer night with the clear sky watching over them.   

   “The lavender-crickets are loud tonight.”

   “Lavender?”

   “Yeah, they smell like the lavender that you’d find in your home world.”

   “Hm.”

   That was the only conversation they carried on their walk, as Haru seems to be in deep wonder over the animals here and their relations to the plant kingdom. His growing curiosity is endearing.  

   Nothing but relief crosses Makoto’s mind when they reach Haru’s residence and there’s no sight of any guards in front of it. _How liberating it must be for Haru._  

   Makoto joins him to the door and they stops there. This is when they will have to part ways. Haru bows his head. Makoto hasn’t seen him act this humble so suddenly before now.

   “Really… thank you. I didn’t expect it to be so…” The words seems to be stuck in his throat. “…I don’t know.”

   Makoto tries to help. “…Fun?”

   “Yeah.” Haru smiles and it’s so unbelievably pretty that Makoto feels instantly weak in his knees. Something about his eyes appears to be more alive as well, signing the thrill of genuinely having had a good time. Makoto doesn’t say anything however, only meets his gaze and glances at the blue soul that has begun moving a bit.

   Haru’s faint smile doesn’t last for long however, which is a shame when it suits him so well, but that doesn’t mean he looks any less beautiful as he looks up at Makoto.  

   Suddenly, he creases his forehead, and he doesn’t really look happy anymore. Is something wrong? Did Makoto do anything?

   “Haru?” Makoto asks carefully, but Haru quickly turns away from him and goes to the door.  

   “It’s nothing. Thanks for following me. Goodnight.”

   Haru opens the door and abruptly shuts it behind him.

   Shocked, Makoto just stands there. He wasn’t even given the chance to say goodbye.

   But, somehow, Makoto can feel that Haru didn’t go anywhere, that he’s standing right behind the door. What made him do that just now? And more importantly, what did that sad expression on him mean?  

   It’s safe to assume that he had been in deep thoughts. And deep thoughts can be lonely. 

   Lonely…

   That reminds him of something Rin told him the other day. Makoto had told a bit about some of the scenes that had happened between him and Haru. Or… maybe ‘a bit’ isn’t the right word. Perhaps ‘a lot’ works better. Alright, there’s no way he can deny that he talks about Haru all the time, but that’s because he thinks of him all the time as well! There shouldn’t be anything wrong about letting those thoughts out, right?

   Cutting to the chase, he might have spoken about Haru in a kind of weird way… as if he is an unrequited love or something, which is completely absurd. Despite the looks of it, their love isn’t actually forbidden or anything, but just… complicated. And well, because of these circumstances, Makoto has been left quite confused as to what Haru feels towards him. Does he really like him after all? That was when Rin said something that struck through Makoto’s mind.  

   _“Uh… are you just pretending right now or are you actually dense as hell? Obviously, Nanase is falling for you! You think just because you haven’t told him anything that he isn’t gonna feel anything? Think more about that, will you?!.”_

   Yes, that might actually be true. They are soulmates after all, so Makoto probably is indeed dense for not taking into account that clear fact. Yeah, perhaps Haru is already developing feelings for him, and honestly, after thinking more about it, Makoto is starting to suspect it having long since happened. The problem is: what should he do about that?

   Has Makoto waited long enough with telling the truth?

   Knowing the fact that they are soulmates or not, Haru has become very close to Makoto. It would simply be unfair not to tell him. Besides, the guards are gone and the king gave them his word that he would not mistake Haru for a faker or a traitor of any kind. Doesn’t that mean that… they are free to go?

   A sudden urge of screaming out the truth kicks in him, but Makoto stands still. No, he will have to think more about this. He wants to make everything perfect. He needs a plan.

   There have been no sounds of footsteps, so Haru shouldn’t have gone anywhere. Makoto takes a step closer to the door and leans his forehead and palms on it.

   “Happy birthday, Haru.”  

   There is no response, but there is no need for one. Makoto walks away with his soul dancing.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next: Forelsket.


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